Tenchi Universe: No Need for a Team-Up!
by Rowan Seven
Summary: What happens when the Eternally Lost Boy and the Best Bounty Hunter in the Universe walk into a bar? This story!
1. Chapter 1: A Chance Encounter

Tenchi Universe: No Need for a Team-Up! 

Rowan Seven 

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except for the original ones. The characters you do recognize are copyrighted by their respective companies. I'm not making any money off this fanfic. ^ ^ indicates thoughts.  ~ ~ indicates telepathy.   

Chapter 1: A Chance Encounter 

Somewhere far, far away on the jungle planet of Nieurt, Nagi, the best bounty hunter in the universe, wearily plodded on. If someone had been able to see her face underneath the shadows her hooded cloak cast they would have seen sorrow etched on her features. Her companion, Ken-ohki the Cabbit, was hopping alongside her and also had a melancholic expression on his cat-like/rabbit-like face. The causes of their depression were relatively easy to figure out if one had any backstory on the pair: Ryoko and Ryo-ohki, both believed to be dead now. 

"Ryoko," Nagi growled, "you won't escape me. I won't stop searching for you until you're found! And you better still be alive when I find you because if you're dead I'll never forgive you!" ^And what will I do if you are dead?^ Nagi morosely thought to herself. She honestly didn't know. Ryoko had been the only real challenge she'd ever had. The thought of defeating and capturing her was what inspired Nagi to get better, improve, etc. Without Ryoko to pursue, her life would be a whole lot emptier. 

"Chow?" 

Looking down at her pet cabbit and possibly only real friend she sighed sadly. "Sorry Ken-ohki, but you know just as well as I do that cabbits and their 'owners' can't live without each other once they've bonded. If Ryoko's dead then so is Ryo-ohki." 

"Chow," Ken-ohki mournfully moaned. Noticing his distress, Nagi attempted a smile and, with fake cheer, said, "Don't worry though. Ryoko _can't_ be dead. I won't allow her to be dead. I'm sure we'll find her soon. Heck, she might even be at our next stop." She wasn't sure whom she was trying to fool: Ken-ohki or herself. 

"Chow!" Ken-ohki cheerfully bounded ahead, eager to get to their intended destination: The Docks, a bar on the fringes of civilized space which was also a common hangout for thieves, pirates, criminals, and lowlife of all kinds. It was Nagi's hope that someone there would have information on Ryoko. She doubted it though. Ever since Ryoko had dropped that Earth-boy, Tenchi, on Jurai she'd disappeared off the face of the universe. Nobody had seen hide or hair of her for months. 

~Ken-ohki, wait for me.~ Nagi commanded through their telepathic link. Ken-ohki obligingly stopped and waited. He was just as eager to find Ryoko as Nagi was because where Ryoko was Ryo-ohki, his love, would be also. He prayed to the heavens that she was still alive. 

****** 

"SHISHIHOUKOUDAN!!!" 

The scream seemed to split the night air, echoing back and forth across the valley. A recently formed column of dark greenish blue ki plummeted from the sky to the ground below causing a massive explosion, forming a huge crater and destroying everything nearby. A cloud of dust slowly rose. Out of this dust appeared Ryouga, glowing with dark ki-energy, depression radiating off him in waves. 

"Why?" he asked his surroundings, not expecting an answer but hoping to receive one nonetheless. "Why did they have to get married?!!" he now yelled. He remembered it all so clearly. He'd finally found Nerima again after having gotten lost and was trying to find the Tendo Dojo when he'd bumped into Ukyo who'd looked even more depressed than he usually did. Curious and worried, half-suspecting what the problem was, he'd asked her what was wrong and waited anxiously for her answer. He hadn't had to wait long. 

Collecting herself Ukyo informed him of the 'happy' news:  Akane and Ranma had finally gotten married. Fearing what would happen if they had a public ceremony, they'd chosen to elope instead and had been gone for more than a week. Ryouga froze upon hearing this news, his heart of glass breaking. With only the smallest amount of interest he listened to what had happened next. Genma and Soun, a bit upset at first because of the elopement, were now overjoyed. Kuno Tatewaki was furious and had been seen practicing kendo with an insane determination. His sister, Kodachi, had locked herself in her greenhouse and hadn't been seen since. Mousse was practically dancing in the streets from happiness while Cologne plotted something. Shampoo was very distressed and had been seen crying lately. He'd tuned her out from there, and, with a muttered "Excuse me," ran into the night. That had been yesterday, and he hadn't stopped running yet. 

"Whyyyyyy-yyyy?" his anquished voice asked one more time, his ki growing even larger as his depression swelled, lighting up the entire area with a dark green light. If he fought Ranma now Ryouga knew he'd finally defeat him but what would be the point? Ranma had won the important battle, Akane's heart. This bitter knowledge only served to make Ryouga's depression and rage greater. 

"Ranma," he muttered weakly, brokenly. "This is...all...your...fault." 

****** 

"Diiiiiiiiieeeee Nagi!" 

Nagi cursed and jumped, narrowly avoiding the laser beam. Her whip and sword were drawn, and she was on her guard. Beside her lay an unconscious Ken-ohki. Usually when she walked into a bar no one noticed her until she decided to make her presence known. That was usually. Tonight was turning out rather unusually. 

"Hehehe, they're 50 of us and 1 of you. If you surrender I promise a painless death. Continue fighting, and, well, I'm sure we all can think of ways to have fun with you," the de facto leader of the angry mob said with a leer, admiring Nagi's body with undisguised lust. 

Nagi felt disgust rise up within her. Fighting back the first retort that came to mind she put on a mask of confidence. "On the contrary, I'd say the odds are even. I am the best bounty hunter in the universe, after all." 

A few of the more cowardly lowlifes looked nervous for a moment but soon took courage in their numbers. The leader, a renegade Jurain, grinned viciously. "Oh, I think I know what the _real_ odds are here. _This_ is for all of us that you've sent to jail!" He raised his arm that ended in a laser cannon and took aim. Nagi took a breath and gripped her whip tighter. This was going to require a lot of speed. 

"Excuse me, but could someone tell me where I -- WHAT THE H*LL IS GOING ON HERE?!!" A silence overtook the room as everyone slowly turned their heads and stared at the newcomer. He was a little over 5 1/2 feet tall, with dark hair and green eyes, dressed in a loosely fitting yellow and brown outfit, carrying a huge pack on his back and wielding a red umbrella. Overall, not the most intimidating appearance. What was intimidating about him was the green aura surrounding him for about 4 feet in every direction. It writhed and almost seemed to howl in despair. Those closest to him fearfully and carefully moved back. 

The stranger's eyes scanned the room, taking in everything and everyone before focusing in on the leader. The leader, appearing a bit shaky at first, gathered his courage and sneered at the newcomer. "I don't know who you are, but if you value your life you'll walk away from this." 

"I don't think so. I don't know why all of you seem intent on murdering that woman-" the stranger pointed at Nagi who was looking at him curiously. "-but it's obvious to anyone that she's not the villian in this little drama I've walked in on. As a man of honor, my duty is clear." 

"Too bad for you then." The Jurain cocked an eyebrow and re-aimed his laser cannon prosthesis, this time targeting the stranger. "Any last words before you die?" 

The stranger grinned mirthlessly, revealing fangs. "A few." He nimbly tossed his backpack into a corner and held his umbrella threateningly. "I'm Hibiki Ryouga. Prepare to die." 

The Jurain shrugged and fired his weapon. Two things happened simultaneously: Nagi's whip wrapped itself around the cannon and pulled it up, causing the discharge to blow a hole through the ceiling, and Ryouga lunged to the side, swinging his umbrella. Within minutes the entire bar was engulfed in a free-for-all. 

****** 

Jump. Kick. Punch. Roundhouse. Block. Duck. Swing. Toss. 

Ryouga's fighting instincts had completely taken over as he made his way through the mass of criminals, defending himself while trying to take out as many of them as possible. For the moment he was ignoring the fact that many of them didn't seem human. Heck, some of them even had tentacles. 

~Figures,~ he thought to himself. ~I go into a bar to find out where I am and end up trying to rescue a girl I don't even know. Speaking of which, where is she?~ Risking a quick glance out of his left eye he spotted her weaving through the mob, taking out people left and right with her fists, legs, whip, sword, and anything else she could use. Ryouga paid for this when he felt a painful electrical discharge strike him in his back. Turning he saw what he could only describe as a walking giant eel. He didn't have time for more thoughts as the eel shot bolt after bolt of electricity at him. With a painful cry Ryouga fell to the ground, his skin scorched. He wasn't out of it though. While falling he extended his index finger and shouted, "BAKUSAI TENKETSU!" Those around him were utterly unprepared for what happened next. 

The floor cracked and blew up, sending heavy chunks of rock and wood in all directions and generating a small cloud of rock fragments and wood chips, obscuring visibility. Taking advantage of this Ryouga quickly jumped back onto his feet and swung his umbrella around, putting his full strength behind it. Exclamations of pain and the sound of rough contact being made soon followed. It was then that what remained of the ceiling dissolved in a golden orange light. 

Squinting his eyes against the fading brightness, Ryouga looked up and straight into the laser cannon of a Class X-M2 Orjikat Spaceship. Of course, Ryouga didn't know what a Class X-M2 Orjikat Spaceship was but when one sees a lethal-looking black flying object shaped like a battle ax about 400 feet in length only 50 feet above with a giant tube glowing orange pointed right at you one generally knows that it's trouble. 

"Nagi! You sssent my brother to jail where he ressseived a life sssentence! You're going to pay for that! Eat my lasssersss!" an angry and half-crazed similian voice shouted out of a loudspeaker. Nagi looked up from where she was knocking one of the last members of the mob unconscious and cursed. Tonight was definitely not one of her better nights. 

Ryouga looked straight at his approaching death and saw his life flash before his eyes: all the pain, all the anger, all the humiliating defeats, his curses, his despair, his lost love, his entire tragic existence in painful clarity. Before he'd always had the faint hope that maybe, just maybe he could win Akane's heart. Now he no longer did. It dawned on him that he no longer had any good reason to go on so why not go out in one last hurrah? His dark green ki flared around him and swelled as he cupped his hands together and concentrated. A small sphere of ki appeared between his hands and began to grow. Energy crackled dangerously in the air and small objects were tossed all around as Ryouga dredged up all of his anger and despair and used them to set his ki ablaze, much like feeding wood to a fire. Ryouga poured more and more ki into the sphere, putting everything he had into it. Now it was all or nothing, and Ryouga was determined to win even if it killed him. Behind the haze of despair, anger, and resolution his mind had become an inner voice began sending off alarms, warning him that this was going to be the biggest ki attack he'd ever released so far and that he'd be completely drained afterwards. Ryouga ignored this voice and continued. The ship fired. So did Ryouga. 

"SHISHIHOUKOUDAN!!!" 

The sheer force of the ki attack blew down what remained of the Docks as it sped towards the orange laser beam. The two collided. A mammoth struggle ensued as each one tried to overpower the other. After what seemed like a short eternity but which was really only a few seconds, it became obvious that the laser beam was no match for Ryouga's unending depression and anger. The ShiShiHoukoudan seemed to swallow its opponent as it continued on its way, striking the enemy spaceship. 

BOOM! 

Dust, ash, and metal rained down from heaven, the remains of the Class X-M2 Orjikat Spaceship. A tired smile graced Ryouga's face before he collapsed to the ground, exhausted. Nagi gracefully rolled out from behind the cover she'd taken and surveyed her surroundings, taking it all in. The Docks was in ruins, and she was the only one left standing. 

"Chow?" Ken-ohki groggily asked as he slowly came to. 

Nagi raised an eyebrow. "'Bout time," she scolded him. "What have I told you about separating from me while in a bar?" 

"Chow!" 

"Look, I don't care if you thought you saw a carrot! Next time stay on my shoulder, okay?" 

  
"Chow." 

"Good. We should probably get going now." 

"Chow!" 

"What about him?" Nagi asked, indicating Ryouga's unconscious body. 

"Chow!" 

"Yeah, he did help me in there, I'll admit that. But that doesn't warrant-" 

"Chow!" 

Nagi snorted. "Fine, fine. I'll give him a lift. Since when did you become my conscience?" 

"Chow," Ken-ohki 'chowed' smugly. 

"Cabbits," Nagi said sarcastically. "Can't live with them, can't get around the galaxy without them. Well c'mon! Let's go! Obviously Ryoko and Ryo-ohki aren't here." 

Ken-ohki leapt, more like soared, into the air and morphed into a giant crystalline white spaceship with a yellow jewel in the center. He emitted a red beam that picked up both Nagi and the still unconscious lost boy. Both quickly rose into the air and disappeared inside Ken-ohki as the Cabbit headed off into outer space. 

End Chapter 1. 


	2. Chapter 2: A First Meeting

Tenchi Universe: No Need for a Team-Up! 

Rowan Seven 

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except for the original ones. The characters you do recognize are copyright their respective companies. I'm not making any money off this fanfic. ^ ^ indicates thoughts.  ~ ~ indicates telepathy. 

Chapter 2: A First Meeting 

The Universe in all of its beauty and glory lay spread out before a darkly cloaked, almost phantom-like figure. Galaxies as numerous as grains of sand swirled and spun as stars were born and others went supernova. Space unfolded into infinity. From the recesses of the cloaked figure's hood one could make out a smug smile. ^Very soon now I'll have my revenge.^ The figure was about to laugh diabolically but then thought better of it and returned to watching the small, crystalline white ship leaving the Nieurt System in a hurry. 

"Behold," it said dramatically, extending its right arm to indicate the ship, "Nagi and Ryouga, the instruments of my vengeance!" This time it did laugh maniacally. 

"MWHAHAHA-" 

"Shut up Dad! I'm trying to sleep!" yelled a reproachful younger, definitely female voice from somewhere in the darkness. 

The cloaked figure looked apologetic and sheepish. "I'm sorry honey, but Daddy's busy plotting. You know how I get carried away sometimes." 

"Yeah, well, try and keep it down, okay? I was having the most _pleasant_ dream about Kariy-ja and me and...er, I think I said too much." 

The cloaked figure arched an eyebrow. "You've got that right, _darling_. I've told you, that guy's bad news _and_ he's 1.5 centuries older than you." 

"But Dad!-" 

"No buts dear. Now, go back to sleep and we'll talk more about this in morning." 

The cloaked figure returned to watching the universe in front of it as a very light snoring sounded in the background. It let out an irritated sigh. "Kids," it muttered, "can't live with them, can't ensure the survival of your species without them." 

****** 

Ryouga painfully and wearily returned to consciousness. One of the first things he noticed was how tired, exhausted, and sore he was. The next thing he noticed was that he was lying on a slightly warm, metallic surface. Opening his eyes and wincing as the light streamed in, he got his first look at his new surroundings. 

The green walls curved and rose to a point high in the air, forming an enclosed dome around what appeared to be a giant spherical gem. 2 foot red crystals floated all over the place, some moving oddly as if preoccupied with something. Ignoring the flash of pain all over his body Ryouga sprang bolt upright and rubbed his eyes and, when that failed to make his surroundings disappear, he pinched his arm. The crystals and the room remained. 

"So the mystery man awakens, hmmm?" asked a cold and gruff feminine voice from behind him. Ryouga quickly turned to face whoever was there, his hand automatically going for his umbrella only to find nothing. Quickly covering up his worried frown he scrutinized the woman he was facing. 

She was sitting casually in a floating white, crystalline chair a safe distance away with a large blank viewscreen behind her. A dark green cloak shrouded most of her figure, but the hood was down. Her face was a pale white with long, oddly elongated ears. Two black, arched triangular tattoos ran down her left cheek to her neck. Her eyes were a light red, and her long, thinly spiked silver tinted blue hair was held back by a blue band. At her side was a sword golden in color with a curved hilt and a red globe between the hilt and long, narrow cylindrical blade. Ryouga recognized her as the woman he had 'rescued' at that strange bar. 

"Who are you and-" 

"Hold it. This is _my_ ship so _I_ get to ask the questions first," Nagi interrupted. Fingering her sword to give her words an added weight she asked, "So, Hibiki Ryouga is it?" 

Ryouga's mouth dropped open in shock. "How do you know my name?" 

Nagi rolled her eyes. "You did practically shout it out back at the Docks, remember? Besides, _I'm_ the one that's supposed to be asking the questions.  Now, what are you and where are you from?" 

^What am I? What could she mean by that? Isn't it obvious I'm human? Unless...^ "I'm not a vampire!" Ryouga shouted, remembering an incident involving two teenage girls, a winged demon with horns, and talking lights that had happened somewhere in the States. 

"Vam-pi-re?" Nagi repeated, giving him an odd look. Ryouga sweatdropped and could've sworn he heard one of the floating crystals behind her snicker. 

"Ehehehe," Ryouga laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.  "Anyway, I'm human and have a house somewhere in Tokyo, Japan. At least, I _think_ it's in Tokyo. I know for certain it's in sight of Mt. Fuji." 

Nagi blinked, the only outward sign of her surprise. "Human? Japan? Japan as in that tiny cluster of islands next to that massive continent on planet Earth?" 

"Well yes, I don't know of any other Japans." Ryouga suddenly got a puzzled look on his face.  "Say, just where in the world am I anyway? You don't look like any human I've ever seen. Who are you anyway?" 

Now it was Nagi's turn to sweatdrop. Earth was a primitive world, not yet capable of interstellar travel. No Earthling should've been able to get all the way to Nieurt unless- "You wouldn't happen to know someone by the name of Tenchi Masaki, would you?" Nagi asked. 

"No, I don't think so," Ryouga replied still puzzled and now a little worried. His mind was beginning to put two and two together, and what it was telling him was that he was more lost than he'd ever been before. 

^Well, that rules that out,^ Nagi thought crossly. Ryouga wasn't making much sense to her. First off, he claimed to be human yet he possessed strength greater than a Bromags and could generate and manipulate energy. Her knowledge of humans stated that both should be impossible, but she supposed that there might be a few mutant strains in the genepool. Still, that didn't explain how he'd gotten all the way from Earth to Nieurt. Nagi let out a frustrated sigh. 

~Answer his questions Nagi. His responses might shed some light on this whole confusing and amusing mess,~ Ken-ohki communicated with a mental chuckle. 

Nagi rolled her eyes but followed her partner's advice. "Look Ryouga, I'm Nagi the Bounty Hunter, you're on my spaceship the Ken-ohki, and we're currently leaving the Nieurt System." Nagi sent a mental command to Ken-ohki and suddenly the viewscreen behind her filled with distant, glowing stars. 

Ryouga's eyes widened almost imperceptibly. A stray thought flitted about his head. ^Ryouga, I don't think you're in Kansas any longer.^ The full import of what Nagi had just said dawned on him, temporarily overriding his pain, both physical and emotional. If he was in a spaceship then he was in outer space. That meant that his directional curse had intensified. 

"Please....tell me you're joking," Ryouga pleaded weakly, knowing that Nagi wasn't. Already, the implications of this were sinking in. If his travels were now open to the entire universe then his chances of ever finding the same place twice had shrunken considerably. He could be lost forever now, always wandering without rest, trying to find his home to no avail. He'd never see his friends again. He'd never see Akane again... 

Nagi watched the myriad of emotions that crossed Ryouga's face carefully. Unless he was a very good actor (which she doubted) he had been telling her the truth judging by his reaction. A pity really. Things would've been _so_ much easier if he had been lying. 

Nagi snapped out of her musings when she noticed that Ryouga was now glowing like he had when he blasted that Orjikat warship. Ken-ohki was much tougher than an Orjikat warship, but... 

"Hey, stop that! If you damage my ship I'll toss you out the airlock!" Nagi's right hand went for her whip as her left hand went for her sword as she simultaneously leaped out of her chair. In his current state Ryouga probably wouldn't be that hard to knock out but she didn't know that for certain. At the Docks he'd seem to have a very high constitution... 

Nagi's irate voice penetrated through the depths of despair that Ryouga's mind had become. Realizing with horror that he was about to release a Perfect ShiShiHoukoudan in a spaceship he halted the technique, the aura around him dissipating instantly. 

Nagi paused in mid-step, relaxing her combat stance slightly. "That's better," she said warily, cautiously watching Ryouga. His aura was gone, but she could feel depression radiating off him in waves. She quickly came to a decision. He had helped her (not that she'd needed it), but she didn't like feeling that she owed anyone anything and it didn't seem all that safe to keep him around for long.  Besides, she'd be able to check out the Masaki residence again to see if Ryoko had returned this way. 

"Look, I have no idea how you ended up in the Nieurt System Earthling nor frankly do I have the time to find out, but since I was planning on going to Earth anyway you might as well come along. Think of it as me repaying you for helping me out back there," Nagi told him. 

Ryouga blinked and nodded sadly. "Sure, why not?" he answered with a bitter chuckle. "What difference does it make? I'll just get lost again anyway. Story of my-" 

"I don't mean to interrupt, but you two might want to turn around," politely suggested a calm, deep, and sophisticated androgynous voice. 

Nagi and Ryouga did so. Standing before them was a darkly cloaked figure. Despite the hood it wore one could tell that it was smiling. 

"Who are you and how did you get onboard without Ken-ohki noticing?" Nagi spoke harshly, returning to her earlier battle stance. Ryouga assumed a battle stance of his own. 

"No need for that," the figure said, grinning even more. "I came here not to fight but rather to bargain. Basically, I have an offer the two of you can't refuse. Intrigued? You should be." The figure made a hand gesture and a neatly polished rectangular wooden table materialized on the floor with the three wooden chairs, two on one side and the third on the opposite side. 

"Let us work out the terms, shall we?" The figure beckoned Nagi and Ryouga over. Despite themselves, they found themselves sitting down in the two chairs. 

"Now, here's what I want the two of you to do for me..." 

End Chapter 2. 


	3. Chapter 3: An Unlikely Proposition

Tenchi Universe: No Need for a Team-Up!   
Rowan Seven 

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except for the original ones. The characters you do recognize are copyrighted by their respective companies. I'm not making any money off this fanfic. ^ ^ indicates thoughts.  ~ ~ indicates telepathy.

Chapter 3: An Unlikely Proposition 

Nagi was trying her best and failing to glare daggers into the unknown entity's head. Ryouga simply settled for glaring. Sitting across from the Eternally Lost Boy and the Best Bounty Hunter in the Universe the phantom-like creature calmly sipped a cup of tea it had materialized just seconds ago. 

"As I was saying," it began, "I have an offer for the two-" 

"I work alone," Nagi stated coldly, ignoring Ken-ohki's mental protest. 

"I don't even know her," Ryouga added, annoyed but still depressed. It's not everyday one finds themselves lost in outer space, even if you are a Hibiki. 

"Unimportant details," the phantom said with a casual wave of its hand. "Neither one of you can succeed at this mission alone." 

Nagi snorted. "I doubt that, whoever you are. With enough time to plan, there's nothing I can't do." 

The phantom grinned mirthlessly. "Even break into Hitno-rai?" 

"...Except maybe for that," Nagi conceded begrudgingly. 

"Um...excuse me," Ryouga interrupted, "but what's Hitno-rai?" 

Nagi looked at him as if he was insane while the phantom grinned some more and explained. "Hitno-rai is the most secure planet in the Jurai Empire, even moreso than the homeworld. It's where Jurain nobles go on vacation when they want to relax without worrying about assassinations, kidnappings, and the press." 

"It's also protected by an entire fleet of Jurain treeships and has one of the most elaborate and impenetrable forcefield defenses ever created. Ken-ohki could hold his own against the fleet, but you'd need a weapon powerful enough to destroy several suns to bring down the forcefield," Nagi added angrily. 

"Not so," the phantom said, a hint of smugness creeping into its tone. "There's another, much less difficult way to eliminate the forcefield." It gestured, and a rectangular blue forcefield shimmered into existence in front of Ryouga. "Try hitting its breaking point." 

Seeing no harm in trying Ryouga closed his eyes and concentrated, expanding his awareness outside of himself. Remembering what Cologne had taught him, he mentally probed the forceshield and located its breaking point. Extending his index finger with a tiny sliver of invisible ki in front and with a cry of, "Bakusai Tenketsu," he jabbed that point. The forcefield lost its solidity and shape, dissipating into tiny balls of energy that went in all directions which, with another wave of the phantom's hand, disappeared before striking anything. Nagi raised an eyebrow in interest. 

"As you can see Nagi, forcefields pose no problem to Ryouga. If you want to break into Hitno-rai, which is precisely what I'm going to ask you two to do, you're going to need Ryouga's assistance." 

"You might be right, but why would _I_ want to break into Hitno-rai? No one there has a high enough bounty for me to risk the wrath of Jurai," Nagi asked, her deadtone belying her curiosity. 

"While we're asking questions, could someone please tell me what's going on here?" Ryouga inquired, a confused and upset expression on his face. "One moment I'm on Earth, the next I'm on some distant, far off planet, and now I find myself involved in what sounds like an elaborate plot to break into a planet I've never heard of." 

"I do believe the time for explanations has come," the robed wraith agreed. "First I'll start with my story. A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away-" A piece of white, crisp paper with words printed on it suddenly materialized in front of the wraith. While it scanned the official looking document Nagi and Ryouga made out such words as "Copyright infringement" and "Appropriate legal actions". 

"Damn lawyers," the wraith cursed under its breath, disintegrating the paper with a hand gesture. "Let me begin again.  About five hundred years ago in the galactic empire of Jurai, there was a very powerful family known as the Ryoduns. They managed to gain a monopoly on Jurai treeships and energy sources. Being of ambitious character, they then attempted the unthinkable: overthrowing the Masakis, Jurai's royal family." 

Nagi snorted. "That's not so unbelievable. The Masakis have made a lot of enemies over their regime, not to mention a lot of mistakes." An alien, unidentifiable look entered her eyes as she said this before it quickly vanished. 

"Anyway," the wraith continued, ignoring Nagi's interruption, "the Ryoduns managed to drum up a lot of support. Contrary to popular belief, the Masakis aren't as well liked among the people as they think. There are still bitter feelings over the Yugi incident of so long ago, among other things. The Ryoduns then proceeded to capture the power producing planets in the Empire that they didn't already own.  Cut off from their energy sources the royal family and its supporters became desperate. Without a stable and dependable energy source they'd only be able to reliably defend against the Ryoduns for two months. They needed energy and they needed it badly. The solution: Arcadia," it spoke bitterly. 

"Arcadia was a desert world. The extreme temperatures and harsh winds on the surface made it inhospitable to most forms of life. Below the surface was another story, however. There cool water flowed and nocturnal flowers bloomed." A nostalgic note entered the wraith's voice. "A race of beings small in number and gifted with incredible telepathic gifts lived there with a 'primitive' but peaceful culture. On the galactic scale, it was below notice except for one detail: the profusion of dilithium crystals in the ground. There were enough to power the loyal Jurai fleet for years...Just what the Masakis needed." 

The wraith seemed to grimace as it continued. "Unfortunately for Jurai, the planet's inhabitants regarded the crystals as being sacred. They refused to part with them. Things went downhill from there. The person sent to retrieve the dilithium crystals by any means necessary was Prince Kenji, 2nd in line to the throne and younger brother of Emperor Dan Masaki of Jurai.  When negotiations fell through he reluctantly resorted to force. He unleashed the power of his Jurain fleet, but Arcadia would not fall."  A hint of pride crept into the wraith's voice before it resumed. 

"Using the power nature gave them, the telepaths resisted and fought Kenji's forces to a standstill. After a month of inconclusive fighting and with time running out for his brother's empire, Kenji was forced to make a painful decision. He weighed the lives of the telepaths against the continued rule of the Masakis and judged the latter to be more important. He unleashed a virus on Arcadia engineered to weaken and knock the telepaths into a dreamless sleep. Unpredictably, the virus mutated into a lethal form in less than a week. It spread through the telepathic population with alacrity, ravaging and killing just about everyone. Only a few dozen of the telepaths survived by separating their astral forms from their physical selves and reluctantly taking up residence on the astral plane. 

Prince Kenji, victorious but now guilty of genocide, became a rather controversial figure. On one hand he'd saved the empire, but on the other he'd dishonorably killed thousands to do so. The Galaxy Police issued a warrant for his arrest, accusing him of war crimes. Emperor Dan and the Jurain nobility would not allow him to be tried by the GP, however. No Jurain noble had ever been so before and was not about to be now. Instead, despite numerous protests, they banished him to Hitno-rai where he'd live out the rest of his life peacefully, in comfort, and out of the   
public scene. The surviving telepaths living on the astral plane were furious but couldn't do anything. The mystical trees of Jurai blocked their minds from the most important planets of the empire, Hitno-rai included. I think you both can now guess what I am and why I'm here, right?" the wraith finished, looking at them intently from within the folds of its hood. 

"I'm guessing you're one of the surviving telepaths, and that you want us to break into Hitno-rai to capture this Prince Kenji, right?" Ryouga asked. Nagi remained silent. The telepath nodded. "And then what?" Ryouga questioned. 

"Then you deliver him to the Galaxy Police so that he can be tried. My race can never know peace until the destroyer of our world has faced justice!" the wraith answered angrily, eyes glowing a dark red and hands clenching. 

"And what do I get in return, telepath? Your vendetta is of no concern to me so tell me why I should even bother getting involved," Nagi spoke coolly, arms crossed and eyes alert. 

The telepath chuckled once again, its earlier display of bad temper gone.  "As I said earlier, I have an offer the two of you can't refuse. In return for capturing Prince Kenji and turning him over to the proper authorities I'll give the two of you something you both desperately want:  the whereabouts of Ryoko the Space Pirate and a cure for your Jusenkyo curse, Ryouga." 

Shocked then hopeful expressions crossed the faces of Nagi and Ryouga. Quickly getting a hold of herself, Nagi spoke in her usual cold inflection, "You better not be lying because if you are I'll-" 

"Do you really have a cure?" Ryouga interrupted, eyes wide. Nagi spared a glare in his direction. 

Almost seeming to smile the telepath answered, "Yes. If you perform this task you'll never have to worry about turning into P-chan again." 

Ryouga blanched, realizing that the telepath knew about _that_ and wondering how much more it knew about him. He got his answer soon. 

"Oh, I know _all_ about the both of you. I've done a lot of research trying to locate two people who actually have a chance at pulling this off and that would be willing to do it if given the proper incentives," the telepath answered Ryouga's unspoken question smoothly. Turning its head slightly to face Nagi it said, "Yes, I know about your origins as well. Rather...interesting, I must say. Don't get upset though. Your secrets are safe with me." 

"They better be," Nagi uttered harshly, her red eyes filled with anger, and voice with unspoken menace. "I don't take kindly to people probing into my past." 

The telepath shrugged its slender shoulders. "Be that as it may, the offer's open. Will you two accept?" 

"Yes," Ryouga said quickly, mind filled with the possibility of a cure. Nagi hesitated briefly, mulling over options, before nodding her head in assent. 

"Excellent," the telepath said with hands clasped in its best Mr. Burns' impersonation. "There are two small details, however. Ryouga's curses-" It nodded its head in Ryouga's direction. "-could prove to be a hindrance on this mission. Therefore, I'm blocking your Jusenkyo curse for 1 month. If at the end of that time you two haven't succeeded the curse will return. As for your Hibiki sense of direction-" The telepath quietly chuckled. "-not even my power is enough to remove it so   
improvisation is required. We can't have you duck into a corner and end up on Naboo now, can we?" Raising its left hand, palm facing forward, in front of its face a black aura sprung into existence around the telepath. Quickly, the black aura grew and expanded until it filled the room, sending Ken-ohki into a panic and surrounding Ryouga and Nagi. When it shrank and disappeared a minute later Ryouga had a pair of tattoos identical to Nagi's except that they were on the opposite side of his neck. 

Ryouga's right hand went to the right side of his neck in wonder. The tattoos felt cool against his skin, but that wasn't the biggest change he noticed. Along the borders of his mind he could feel two new presences: one sharp, cold, and female, the other wise, friendly, and male. Both seemed somewhat shocked. 

~This certainly is...different.~ the male voice telepathically sent to Ryouga, ~but not completely unpleasant. I'm Ken-ohki the Cabbit, spaceship extraordinaire. You've already met my partner, Nagi the Bounty Hunter.~ Ken-ohki indicated the female presence. 

"What have you done?!" Nagi demanded of the telepath, her usual calm demeanor gone, as she began to threateningly rise out of her chair. 

"I only gave your new partner a 'lighthouse' to find his way. Now when he gets lost he'll be able to hone in on you two. Besides, with the obstacles you'll be up against a telepathic link might prove handy. After the mission I'll remove it if you desire. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a daughter that needs to be watched. Good day," the telepath stood up and bowed politely before disappearing in a flash of black light. The table and chairs soon likewise followed and the tea began to slowly fade away leaving Nagi and Ryouga alone on Ken-ohki together. 

There was a moment of silence as the two looked at each other, wondering what to do next. Finally, with a sigh, Nagi spoke. "Ken-ohki, plot a course for the Jurai System. I have a feeling it's going to be a long trip." 

End Chapter 3. 


	4. Chapter 4: A New Destination

Tenchi Universe:  No Need for a Team-Up!        

Rowan Seven

Disclaimer:  I don't own any of these characters except for the original ones.  The characters you do recognize are copyrighted by their respective companies.  I'm not making any money off this fanfic.  ^ ^ indicates thoughts.  ~ ~ indicates telepathy.

Chapter 4:  A New Destination

Ryouga sat cross-legged on the cold, metallic floor in one of the darkened corners of Ken-ohki's bridge, his eyes closed and breathing slow.  He was trying to meditate and sort his thoughts into some sort of order.  He wasn't having much success.  Images of Ranma and Akane happily together sent despair coursing through his being, offset by his joy at the possibility of finally being cured of his much despised curse.  Around his meditating form his blue/green ki flickered on and off, sending fluttering shadows across the room.  Surrounding him at a safe distance were several floating red crystals.

~Could you stop doing that?  You're beginning to make me slightly nervous.~ Ken-ohki telepathed to Ryouga.

Ryouga opened his eyes, a tired expression on his face.  ~Doing what?~ he asked.

~Glowing.~ Ken-ohki answered.  ~My sensors indicate that you're producing a sizeable amount of energy.  Since you're on my bridge naturally I'm worried.  Regeneration can be such a pain.~

Ryouga blinked and his ki dimmed.  ~...I wouldn't know about that last part.~ he finally responded.  ~As for the glowing, I apologize.  My power is linked to my emotions, particularly anger and despair.  I have a tendency to 'light up' when I'm in a bad mood.~

~Well then, at the risk of sounding like a self-help book, cheer up!  Your emotions are giving me a headache.~ Ken-ohki said testily.

~You can sense my emotions?!!~  Ryouga thought back, visibly disturbed.  For Ryouga, an intensely private person, the thought of someone being able to sense his feelings whenever he or she wanted to made him feel violated.

~Quiet down, will you?  Now I'm really going to have a headache, and aspirin doesn't exist for cabbits.~ Ken-ohki complained.  ~Anyway, to answer your question, yes but only with very strong emotions.  Usually our minds are just foggy presences to each other, but when one thinks or feels something strongly enough it can be sensed by others.  Ever since you started meditating you've been radiating enough sorrow to make Naru Tutan seem like Princess Sasami.~

~Who and who?~  Ryouga asked, confused.

Ken-ohki sighed.  ~I can see that I'm going to have to choose my words carefully around you.  Naru Tutan is the tragic main character of a famous book on Jurai.  Princess Sasami is the younger sister of Princess Aeka and second-in-line to the throne of Jurai.  She has a very cheerful disposition towards life, and that's putting it mildly.  Now do you understand the analogy I was trying to make?~

"I guess so," Ryouga answered out loud, moving out of his seated position to stand.  "What you're saying is that I have problems with despair.  No offense to your observation skills or anything, but even _I_ could've told you that."  He laughed bitterly, and his ki began to swell around him again as he continued in a voice laden with emotion, "You try living a life almost completely alone with a family you hardly ever see, friends that you can't trust, a love that sees you as nothing more than a friend, a rival that no matter how hard you try you never seem to able to permanently defeat, and a curse that not only changes you into a weak creature that most of the world eats but if it is ever revealed could cause the one person that means more to you than anything else to hate you, and see if _you_  come out singing 'yipide-do-da-yipide-yay, oh what a beautiful day'."

Ryouga's shoulders sagged and his ki disappeared.  Taking a deep breath, he continued, "It's all just... so frustrating!  Whenever I made some progress forward, whenever my hopes had a chance to be realized, fate cruelly intervened, pushing me back where I started.  I've lost one precious dream now so forgive me if I'm not Mr. Sunshine!  Right now...I'm just tired."

~...Well, at least you're venting.~ Ken-ohki replied after a moment's pause.  ~Now, if you're done with your pity party, you might try looking on the bright side.  Sure, you've lost one dream, but if I'm understanding your situation correctly you have the opportunity to achieve another.  Your Jusenkyo curse, whatever it was, is gone and might be forever if we succeed.  That's something to look forward to.  As for being tired, it sounds like you need some sleep.  I'll guide you to a bunk.~

"Thanks," Ryouga muttered, drowsily heading off in a random direction.

~Stop!  That's the way to the engine room.  Turn right, walk forward, and- I said FORWARD!  Stop swerving!  Now go left, through the door-~ 

"What door?" Ryouga asked.  In answer, a portal in the crystalline wall in front of him irised open.  Ryouga blinked.  "Oh, _that_ door."  Carefully and very slowly he walked through the opening.  With a mechanical hiss it closed behind him, surrendering the bridge to shadows.

***

"This isn't going to work," Nagi grumbled to herself, sitting down in another crystalline white chair and looking at a holographic 3-D topographical map of the Hitno-rai system that filled the room.  The planet itself was the 2nd in a 6 planet system orbiting a yellow star and was predominately blue with one large patch of green surrounded by dozens of smaller green patches.  The other 5 planets were dead, the 1st a firey hell and the last 4 frozen deathtraps.  An asteroid belt, the result of a 7th planet that never quite made it, separated Hitno-rai from the third world.

~What won't?~ Ken-ohki asked, suddenly popping up in Nagi's mind.  

"This won't," she said, gesturing vaguely at the map before her.  She let out a frustrated sigh.  "Even if we get past all of Hitno-rai's planetary defenses we'll still be stopped by the planet's ground troops.  My areas of expertise are stealth and one-on-one combat, not fighting armies, and I doubt Ryouga could defeat an entire Jurain guard."  

~Ah, but first they'd have to find him.~ Ken-ohki spoke, amusement underlying his tone.  Predicting Nagi's unsaid question he replied, ~There's a reason his sense of direction is a curse.  It took me 30 minutes just to guide him to a bedroom.~

Nagi blinked.  "It's really that bad?" she asked, her mouth curved downwards in a frown.

Ken-ohki gave her a mental nod.  ~Yes it is.  I actually find the prospect that he traveled all the way from Earth to Nieurt on foot credible now.~

A thoughtful look crossed Nagi's face as she brushed one of her silvery-blue spikes back with a hand before resting her head on her left hand.  "Just thinking of the scientific improbabilities is giving me a headache," she complained.  "I'll take your word for it, but regardless one terrible sense of direction isn't going to help us out here.  What we need is a distraction so enormous that the planet's defenders won't have time to deal with us.  What we need is..."  Nagi's voice trailed off as an idea permeated through her mind, and her lips curled upwards into a cold, emotionless smile.  

~I know that look Nagi.  What do you have in mind?~ Ken-ohki asked, curious and slightly cautious.  

~You'll find out soon enough, my friend.  In the meantime, change our course.  New destination:  the Sanctuary.  When we get within one hour of our destination wake me up.  I'm going to bed.~ Nagi telepathically ordered, lithely getting out of her chair as the 3-D representation of Hitno-rai faded out of existence, revealing the square room's bare green walls.

Walking towards the portal that had just irised open with the cat-like grace that she was renowned for, her green cloak billowing about her legs, Nagi suddenly paused, a questioning look on her face.  "Ken-ohki, you've spoken with our new 'partner'.  What is your impression of him?"  

~Hmm, well, to be perfectly honest I'd have to say he's an incredibly depressed individual with anger management problems, a melancholy outlook on life, and questionable mental stability.  You two ought to get along just fine.~

Nagi raised an eyebrow.  "Are you trying to imply something, Ken-ohki?" she asked through grit teeth.  

~Oh no, certainly not.  Far be it from me to even insinuate that you have an unhealthy and obsessed fixation, a past you try to repress, and a violence problem.~

"Good," Nagi replied crossly, "because if you ever did try to allude such a thing I'd be very 'upset', and you know what I'm like when I'm angry."  With what for her counted as a huff she exited the room, the door automatically shutting behind her, and leaving Ken-ohki alone with his thoughts. 

******

In her lifetime Nagi had experienced many bizarre and strange things, many of them unpleasant.  This of course led to some pretty odd dreams that would've given Sigmund Freud a field day.  However, in all of her years of dreaming, this was the first time Nagi could remember being chased around by a mad chef with a long, menacing, and very sharp butcher's knife.

"Bwee!" Nagi shouted as she ran under a wooden table.  This _body_ that she was stuck in didn't help matters much either.  It had four stubby legs, was about the size of a cabbit, had a snout, and was black.  About the only advantage it had was incredible speed, but against a humanoid with much longer leg strides that didn't amount to much.

The chef peeked under the table.  Nagi launched herself at his head, biting and kicking with cloven feet.  The chef reeled back, clutching his left eye and spewing curses.  He swung wildly with his metal knife.  Nagi jumped over the strike and ran as fast as she could to what she hoped was an exit.  For the oddest reason she had an overwhelming urge to yell, "Ryoko, this is all your fault!!!"

******  

Ryouga had absolutely no idea where he was.  This was not new.  What was new was that he seemed to be stuck in a 4-year old female body.  He was alone in a small, cold, sterile, and cubic room.  In the back right-hand corner was a cot.  To the left of that was a dresser in desperate need of replacement.  The only colorful part of the room was a framed picture on top of the dresser showing a young, cat-like woman with long, spikey blue hair wearing thin glasses and a white lab coat (a lab assistant?).  A loving expression adorned her face, and in her arms she was craddling a baby girl with a few patches of silvery blue hair.  The picture made Ryouga sadly recall his own parents and how he hadn't seen them in over 3 years.  

"It is time for your next test," a cold and mechanical voice announced, breaking Ryouga out of his reverie.  A door that had previously gone unnoticed slid open, and a gray robot with a basic humanoid shape strolled in with mechanical precision.  

Ryouga backed up.  Martial artist's instincts were telling him that he was in trouble.  They were proven right when the robot reached out for him.  Ryouga ducked under the robot's metallic arms and jumped into another corner of the room.  He'd tested this body's strength out a while ago, and it wouldn't have even been able to dent his robotic adversary.

The robot made a note.  "Speed and agility of speciman have increased.  Compensating..."  With blinding speed the robot lunged at Ryouga.  Had he been in his normal body Ryouga might have stood a chance at dodging, but in this child's body he was pretty much helpless.  With a vise-like grip, the robot grabbed him around the neck and held him far enough away that he couldn't reach his opponent with his child arms.

"Resisting is a punishable offense, 1-A.  You should know better."  With what could've been a sigh had it come from a human being, a humming noise quickly rose in volume from the strong automaton.  Ryouga soon found out what it was when he felt electricity crackling through his body in painful amounts.

"Ooooooooowwwwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!"

Ryouga woke up in a cold sweat.  Breathing deeply he let out a sigh of relief.  "It was...just a dream," he muttered.  He took a look around him and immediately noticed the crystalline walls.  The events of the last few days rushed to the front of his mind.  "D*mn," he cursed.

******

~This is your wake-up call.  I repeat, this is your wake-up call.  We will arrive at the Sanctuary in approximately 59 minutes and 15 seconds.  Nagi, wake up!~

Nagi groggily opened her eyes and slowly rose from her bed, still wearing her clothes from last night.  Ken-ohki noticed this with slight concern.  Usually Nagi was very alert when she woke up.  

"Chow?" he asked.

Nagi smiled slightly.  "Don't worry Ken-ohki.  I'm perfectly fine.  Just had a bad dream is all."  Her smile froze as she remembered.  Shaking her head as if to dispel the remnants of the nightmare she headed off to her bathroom.  A thought occurred to her.  

~Ken-ohki, tell Ryouga to meet me on the bridge in 30 minutes and then guide him there.  There is something that we must discuss before we enter the Sanctuary.~

~Will do.~ Ken-ohki responded cheerfully, shuttling his consciousness to the part of the ship Ryouga was staying in.  ^And then maybe you'll give me some answers, Nagi.^ he thought to himself.

End Chapter 4.


	5. Chapter 5: A Situation Improved

Tenchi Universe:  No Need for a Team-Up!        

Rowan Seven

Disclaimer:  I don't own any of these characters except for the original ones.  The characters you do recognize are copyrighted by their respective companies.  I'm not making any money off this fanfic.  ^ ^ indicates thoughts.  ~ ~ indicates telepathy.

Chapter 5:  A Situation Improved

With Ken-ohki's guidance, it only took Ryouga _35_ minutes to find the bridge.  Nagi was waiting for him in the command chair, her usual intent and focused expression on her face.  On the viewscreen a purple nebula was drawing closer.

Nagi turned her chair around to face Ryouga.  Not bothering to exchange pleasantries she got straight to the point.  "In about 25 minutes we'll be arriving at the nebula displayed on this viewscreen.  Inside is a rogue moon that has been converted into a base for…illicit activities.  You will accompany me inside where we'll be meeting a few people that can help us accomplish our assignment.  Bring your umbrella.  Any questions?"

Ryouga shook his head.  He didn't feel up to socializing either so Nagi's brusque manner currently suited him.  The sooner they captured this Prince Kenji guy the sooner Ryouga could return to Earth and do…well, he'd figure that last part out when he came to it.

"Good," Nagi spoke, turning back to face the viewscreen.  "This moon has earned the moniker of the Sanctuary, by the way.  Violence is outlawed save for entertainment purposes so don't start any fights, no matter how annoying or rude someone may be.  You'll never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.  We must be cautious."

Somewhere far, far away Obi-Wan's spirit glared.

Nagi turned her head to look at Ryouga again.  "Additionally, you'll be wearing one of my hooded cloaks for this excursion.  I would prefer not to draw attention, and your current attire is somewhat conspicuous."

Ryouga glanced down at his yellow and brown outfit.  Silently, he disagreed, but figured that Nagi was probably more up-to-date on intergalactic fashion than he was.

"Ken-ohki will show you where to find one.  Also, if you wish to communicate with me while we're in the Sanctuary use the telepathic link.  There are aliens who've made it a business to eavesdrop where we're going, and telepathic ones are a far rarer breed.  That is all," Nagi finished, returning to looking at the viewscreen.

~I can't help but notice that you're awfully quiet today,~ Ken-ohki's mental voice 'spoke' as one of the red crystals Ryouga had noticed the last time he was on the bridge made its way over to him.

Ryouga shrugged.  ~I don't feel much like talking, and Nagi seems to have everything well in hand.~

Ken-ohki chuckled.  ~That she does.  Anyway, I want you to follow the red crystal.  It will lead you to a changing room where I'm already having a cloak sent.  Er, you do know how to put one on, right?~  The crystal began to move.

Ryouga rolled his eyes as he followed the crystal.  ~Yes, I do.  Cloaks are worn on Earth too.~  A door irised open and Ryouga stepped through it.

******

"Getcha bolian eggs!  Rare bolian eggs for sale right here!  Only 5,000 Jurai per dozen!"

"Ancient royal ring of the Al Mynoph dynasty right here!  Buy now and get a Tsunami medallion at half-price!"

"Knos ba di nonag qkox!  Moaji buu rar nabida!"

Imagine a busy oriental market, with merchants, customers, and people of all sorts going to and thro in maddening numbers.  Now multiply that by 100, increase the size of the market to Manhattan, insert more aliens species than shown on every Star Trek series combined, and add futuristic architecture and technology to the scene.  This provides a rough description of the Sanctuary.  Suffice it to say, even with his many travels behind him, Ryouga still found himself overwhelmed.

"You!  Yes, _YOU_ can own your very own Jurain warship!  Afraid of trees?  Don't worry cause we also have the infamous X-7 Deninad Model!"

"Get your naked pictures of Princess Aeka right here folks!  They make great gifts for those collectors out there!  C'mon, do you realize what we had to do to get these pictures?  Buy now!"

"Infamous Black Materia for sale.  Dangerous Black Materia for sale!  Summon Meteor and destroy a world!  Now at an all-time LOW PRICE!  Global devastation has never been this affordable!"

Nagi, however, was a different story.  Amazingly, she seemed completely relaxed in this crowded environment, as if the sheer size and density of people didn't bother her in the least.  With quick, confident strides she made her way through the dense crowd, the way to their destination as clear to her as if neon signs were pointing to it.  

"Cat-girl for sale!  Cat-girl for sale!  See for yourselves folks, ain't she a beaut?  Trained in the arts of pleasure, for this price she's a steal!"

That was, of course, until she heard this.  Stopping with alacrity, Nagi turned to look at the source of that last voice and tensed with anger.  Ryouga followed her gaze and spied among one of the rows of merchant stands and booths a tall old man with gray hair and a hint of something canine about him holding onto one end of a gold chain.  The chain ended in a collar that was fastened tightly around the neck of what Ryouga could only describe as an orange, young, furry, and feline girl wearing a skimpy outfit and with a fearful look in her eyes.

Clenching her fist with what Ryouga assumed was rage, Nagi took several deep, calming breaths before moving on, her pace noticeably hastened as if she wanted to get as far away as possible from that stand before her anger became too much to control.

Curious and hesitant, Ryouga swallowed his own fury at the scene he'd just witnessed and followed her, debating whether he should broach the subject with her or not.  Finally deciding on the former, he telepathically spoke, ~Nagi, what was-~

~_That_ was a display of the profitable Nekid or, as they're more commonly known, cat-people slave trade,~ Nagi pre-empted, guessing what his question was and with a touch of ire in her mental voice.  ~Despite being illegal, the demand for cat-people is so high that slavers constantly pillage their homeworld, kidnapping and abducting Tsunami knows how many thousands a year.  The females, when in heat, are very…wild, and since Nekids meet and surpass many races' personal ideas of beauty this…lack of restraint appeals to many.  The GP have made efforts to reduce and end this practice, but it remains a low priority for them.  A bunch of primitive feline women from a backwater world don't really rank high on their 'need help' list.~

~Nagi, that's horri-~

~Don't.  I've heard it all before.  The simple, sad truth of the matter is that there's nothing you or I can do about it.  Where there's a will there's a way, and depressingly there's a very strong will behind this trade.~

Ryouga was silent, saddened by what he'd just heard.  A part of him wanted to go back, free the girl, and pound some sense into that old man, but he understood that doing that would accomplish little more than getting him and Nagi thrown out.  His hands were tied.  Another part of him was wondering why Nagi, usually so reserved, felt so strongly about this issue.

It was right about then that Ryouga noticed something peculiar:  nobody had bumped into him nor for that matter Nagi, and with a crowd this size that was extremely unusual.  It was as if the crowd was moving _around_ them, and yet nobody had even seemed to look at him and Nagi.  Odd.  

~Nagi, why are people avoiding us?~ Ryouga asked, venturing another question.

~It's a minor telepathic talent of mine,~ she answered curtly, not stopping her walk.  ~They realize that we're here and get a subtle vibe to keep some distance, but they also don't see anything particularly striking or memorable.  To them we're completely insignificant, just two ordinary travelers.  Don't do anything to attract attention and we ought to be-~

"NAGI!!!"

"-fine," Nagi finished with a sigh, glaring at the figure that had just glomped her.  "Could you scream my name any louder, Harmony?  I don't think they heard you on Uldanus."     

Nagi's assailant let go of her and laughed.  "Oh Nagi, you haven't changed at all!"  She then noticed the nearby and confused Ryouga wearing one of Nagi's green cloaks.  "Or then again, maybe you have.  Who's your new friend?"

Ryouga finally got his first good look at Harmony and blinked.  The only thing that stopped him from falling onto the ground unconscious with a nosebleed was the feeling that Nagi would kill him if he did.  Regardless, it was a struggle.  Harmony was a nekid, and to say that she was a beautiful specimen of her race would be an understatement.  Her body was covered with golden, luxuriant fur, and her long, silky mane of blonde hair slithered down enticingly to her waist.  Her body defied laws of proportion and practically exuded sensuousness, and her tail curled and uncurled teasingly.  If one ever bothered to look at her face and purple eyes, they'd find that it matched the rest of her body in aesthetic perfection.  Her nearly translucent yellow dress clung tightly to her, almost as if it took a perverse pleasure in revealing its mistress's assets while keeping just enough hidden to enflame the imagination and spur desire.  Harmony's mere presence in the Jurai Holy Council Chambers would be enough to incapacitate the most powerful empire in the known universe and send its members to various hospitals with heart problems.  In other words, she was a total babe.

~Don't let her appearance fool you,~ Nagi warned Ryouga, snapping him out of his stupor.  ~She's one of the most skilled and dangerous assassins in the universe.~

"He's my partner, not my friend, and our arrangement is only temporary," Nagi clarified, speaking to Harmony.  "His name is Hibiki Ryouga, and I met him on Nieurt.  That is all you need to know."

Taking this as his cue, Ryouga pulled his hood back, politely bowed, and stuttered out, "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

Harmony smiled at Ryouga.  "Hmm, and he has manners too.  Great catch, Nagi.  I wish you two a most…_pleasurable_ partnership.  And Nagi, when you're through with him send him my way, won't you?  I can think of several _things_ we could do together.  Ta!"  

Her smile now a genuine Cheshire grin, she waved to Ryouga, winked at Nagi, and sauntered off back into the crowd, leaving behind one very flustered lost boy and an annoyed bounty hunter.

"So, er, how do you two know each other?" Ryouga finally asked to break the silence.  

Nagi sighed and resumed walking as people gaped, ran away, and tried to hide from her now that her cover was blown.  Quite a few of the Sanctuary's visitors had bounties on their head, and while they were safe inside the rogue moon as soon as they left they were fair game.  It was safer not to be spotted.

~A while back we clashed over the same target, a rich and affluent heir to an intergalactic crime family,~ Nagi responded, an angry frown on her face.  ~After a long and difficult fight I managed to throw her off a dam, turned the heir in to the proper authorities, and collected the bounty on his head.  The next day a poisonous dart, courtesy of Harmony, killed him.  Ever since then, for some strange reason, she acts like we're best friends.  I question her sanity.~

~…Right,~ Ryouga thought back, slightly ill at ease because the relationship Nagi had just described, with the exclusion of the murder, reminded him of the craziness that was Nerima.  Distance may make the heart grow fonder, but it doesn't do much for memories.

"We're here," Nagi said out loud, stopping in front of a curved booth pressed tightly against a gray metallic wall with a door in it.  Various small mechanical devices littered the tabletop, and behind the booth sat another alien, this one possessing the appearance of a 6-foot tall green humanoid frog.  A sign with the words "Molatit's Arms and Parts" was affixed to the wall.

The frog, Molatit, became very animated upon spotting Nagi.  "Well, if it isn't my favorite customer," he greeted with a huge smile, jumping over his booth and coming to a standing position 3 feet in front of Nagi.  "Whip need repairs again?"

Nagi shook her head no.  "I'm not here for myself, Molatit.  I want you to arm my partner's weapon with laser technology.  We're going to be facing some Jurains soon, and you know how fond they are of their beam swords."

Molatit's eyes widened slightly when Nagi mentioned the word partner and he focused his yellow gaze on Ryouga.  "A partner, Nagi?  I really must be out of it.  Tell me, has Kain escaped from the GP and joined the Sasami Fanclub?"

Nagi rolled her eyes.  "This situation isn't _that_ unbelievable.  I will work with someone when the situation warrants it."

Solemnly, Molatit replied, "Then the situation must be very grave indeed."  He bowed to Ryouga.  "Greetings, I am Molatit.  Welcome to my store.  It will be an honor to serve you.  Not many people have the courage or, for that matter, the patience to work with Nagi.  I shall pray for you."  

Ryouga bowed back.  "Hibiki Ryouga, and thank you.  Your…thoughtfulness is appreciated."

"Now that you're acquainted, hand Molatit your umbrella, Ryouga.  We'll pick it up on our way back to Ken-ohki where I'll teach you the finer points of laser weapons," Nagi informed Ryouga, making an impatient gesture with her left hand.

"Right, okay.  Be careful, Molatit.  My umbrella's quite heavy," Ryouga warned him, handing over his red umbrella to Molatit's waiting hands.

"Now I'm sure it's nothing that I can't handle," Molatit said, grabbing the proffered umbrella.  It immediately fell out of his hands and made a dent in the floor.  Nagi and Molatit sweatdropped while Ryouga looked sheepish.

"I…see I was mistaken," Molatit finally spoke, eyeing Ryouga in a new light.  To be able to carry that around easily with one hand…"I'll have my assistant help me drag your umbrella into my shop.  The modifications should be finished in less than two hours.  Till then, adieu."  Molatit jumped back over his booth and opened the door.  "Mulita, come here!"

Nagi turned to go, and Ryouga followed suit.  ~So, where to next?~ he asked.

~The Singing Cabbit,~ Nagi answered and, upon seeing the lack of comprehension on Ryouga's face, added, ~It's a popular bar and hangout for pirates.  With any luck, you'll soon meet the prince of pirates, Lord Hiro, bastard son of the noble Jurai House of J'ineran.~

End Chapter 5.


	6. Chapter 6: A Plan Revealed

Tenchi Universe:  No Need for a Team-Up!        

Rowan Seven

Disclaimer:  I don't own any of these characters except for the original ones.  The characters you do recognize are copyrighted by their respective companies.  I'm not making any money off this fanfic.  ^ ^ indicates thoughts.  ~ ~ indicates telepathy.

Chapter 6:  A Plan Revealed

The Singing Cabbit fit the preconceived ideas of what a pirate's bar should look like down to the usual stereotypes.  There were Tsunami knows how many corners, tucked away booths and curtains, a bar with dozens of stools run by a bartender with a grouchy expression and a scarred eye, attractive waitresses wearing skimpy outfits and serving drinks, and various mean-looking and shifty customers.  A few card games were being played here and there, and on the stage a torchlight singer was giving a performance.  Conversations were hushed and kept among the participants.  The lighting was poor, and the air was cool.

Nagi and Ryouga entered, momentarily letting the light and noise from outside drift in until the door behind them irised closed.  A few people looked up, saw two cloaked figures, did their versions of a shrug, and returned to what they'd been doing.  Cloaked figures weren't unusual here.

Nagi, with Ryouga following her, quickly made her way to the bar where she sat down on a stool.  "Bartender, a glass of Xillomusz Surpise."  She set a silver coin on the bar.  When the bartender, grunting at her, made a move to pick it up she grabbed his wrist tightly and stared intimidatingly at him.  "And some information.  Where is pirate prince Hiro?"

The bartender met Nagi's daunting stare with a dismissive one of his own.  He was threatened on a regular basis and was a master at staying alive and dealing with the type of people that came into this bar.  "That, missy, will cost ya extra."  While making a profit, of course.

Ryouga, following Nagi's telepathic instructions, bared his fangs, started glowing, and growled.

"Not too much extra, though," the bartender hastily added.  To him, Ryouga currently looked like an energy-wielding and feral alien, and the bartender had dealt with enough aliens matching that description to know that when maddened rules usually didn't stop them from destroying everything in sight.

Nagi reached into a pocket with her other hand and pulled out two more silver coins and a small crystal.  "This, I think, will be enough."  The bartender slowly nodded, Ryouga's glow diminished, and Nagi set the additional currency next to the first coin before letting go of the bartender's wrist.

The bartender, none the worse for wear and with his composure completely unruffled, picked up the money, grabbed a glass and bottle from behind the bar, and poured.  "Hiro is over at table 19.  He just returned from a successful raid on the Quonal and is in a pretty cheerful mood."  He handed her the alcoholic beverage.

"Good," Nagi said, sipping her drink.  Standing up, she tossed another silver coin on the table.  "For the cup," she added, walking off with the glass in her right hand and taking careful sips of the wine.  The bartender and Ryouga exchanged a look, the latter shrugged, and then followed Nagi to table 19.

Hiro, as Ryouga soon saw, appeared to be roughly the same age as he was, perhaps a little older, and possessed a thin but lithe frame.  He had dark brown hair that was slightly rakish in appearance and cut above the neck.  His eyes were a lighter shade of brown and friendly.  Two green lines (tattoos? Ryouga wondered) curved down across the right side of his face on his cheek.  He wore a blue tunic whose sleeves ended in white, a black belt, black pants with two strips of red circling around the top half of the right pant leg, black boots, and an orange cape that went down a little ways past his knees and appeared to be somewhat torn along the bottom.  Curiously, the bottom half of his pants were covered in white bandages as were his arms, though these bandages were mostly hidden by his tunic.  A white boomerang was attached to his belt along with one of the most elaborately carved wooden sticks Ryouga had ever seen.  Unknown to Ryouga, this wooden stick was actually the hilt of a Jurai tree sword.

"Hello Hiro, long time no see," Nagi interrupted coolly, having snuck up on the space pirate from behind.  Hiro turned his head and his brown eyes widened slightly upon recognizing Nagi.  His nervousness, though, was almost immediately replaced by a friendly smile.  "Greetings, Nagi.  It's been awhile.  If this is about the bounty on my head you know the rules of this-"

Nagi held up her right hand to stop him.  "Heh, I wouldn't worry about that if I were you.  You bounty isn't high enough to interest me."

Hiro shrugged good-naturedly.  "Hey, is it my fault I'm so likeable that even the people I rob don't want to see me captured?"  He gestured at two chairs on the other side of the circular table, offering Nagi and Ryouga a place to sit, looking at the latter with questioning eyes.

Both Nagi and Ryouga accepted, sitting down in the proffered seats.  "Coming from anyone else but you I'd think that statement was an excuse, but since your record rivals Ryoko's that's the only sensible explanation other than you using all of your gains as bribes," Nagi spoke.

"Oh no, you've found me out," Hiro replied dryly before chuckling.  "Anyway Nagi, who's your friend?  I don't think I've ever seen you with someone else before, not counting Ken-ohki."

Nagi sighed.  ~Introduce yourself.~

"Hibiki Ryouga," Ryouga started, offering his hand.  "Nagi and I met on Nieurt, and we're working together on a one-case basis."

Hiro shook Ryouga's hand firmly.  "Well then, I wish both of you good luck.  Pray tell, if you don't mind telling me, what job could be so difficult that Nagi would consent to having a partner?"  A metaphorical light bulb appeared over his head.  "And, for that matter," he added, interest and caution both noticeable in his voice, "what does it have to do with me?"

"My-,…_our_ quarry," Nagi began, remembering to include Ryouga, "is on Hitno-rai."

Hiro gaped.  "Hitno-rai?  But that's the most secure planet in the Jurai Empire!"  Remembering where they were he lowered his voice  "What could motivate you to take on such a challenge?"  A thought occurred to him.  "This isn't about Ryoko, is it?"

Nagi's eyes darkened for a moment, as if she wasn't happy that her motivation was found out so quickly.  "Ryoko is not on Hitno-rai," Nagi spoke, "but in return for turning a certain someone who is on Hitno-rai in I'll receive information on where that pirate has been hiding herself."

Now it was Hiro's turn to sigh as he looked at Nagi through saddened eyes.  "Nagi, though it pains me to say this, you know as well as I do that Ryoko is dead.  Ryo-ohki shouted the infamous cabbit mourning wail on every subspace frequency before losing herself to grief and running away.  Cabbits only make that sound if their owner's are dead, and they never lie about that.  Odds are that if Ryo-ohki hasn't flown into a sun by now she's so far past the galactic rim that she'll never be seen again along with Ryoko's body."

"I refuse to believe that until I've seen Ryoko's corpse myself, Hiro," Nagi replied evenly.  "If anyone could survive a direct assault on Jurai it would be Ryoko, even with her injuries.  She will not escape me, not even in death!"

Ryouga, who had been silently watching the proceedings before him with interest while also looking around the bar, blinked.  Nagi's obsession with this Ryoko character was beginning to remind him of his rivalry with Ranma, disturbingly enough.

Realizing that her voice was beginning to rise, Nagi paused and calmed herself down.  "At any rate, regardless of Ryoko's current state, I have accepted a job, and I always see my assignments through.  The reason I have sought you ought is this:  Ryouga and I need a distraction.  We will not be able to capture our target if all of Hitno-rai's ground forces are concentrated on us.  A pirate raid, however, would disperse the Jurai troops and generate enough chaos to allow Ryouga and me to get in, grab our quarry, and get out in one piece."

Hiro grinned sardonically.  "Good plan, Nagi," he said sarcastically, "but what about the shield surrounding the planet?  Not even my treeship Ruby has enough firepower to penetrate it."

"Oh ye of little faith," Nagi spoke.  "Do you really think I'd come all this way and ask for your help in this matter without taking _that_ into consideration?  Ryouga here has the ability to disrupt energy shields, even Hitno-rai's."

Hiro looked at Ryouga for confirmation of this.  Ryouga nodded his head.  This time Hiro's smile was genuine.  "Well, in that case," he began, "I'll be happy to aid you in this endeavor.  Just tell me when and I'll be there, cloaked and ready."

"We'll be there in precisely one week, and remember:  no casualties," Nagi stressed.  "Doing this will use up all the goodwill I earned with the Jurai Government for my aid in the Kagato incident, and if there are any deaths it's a safe bet to say that the Jurai Fleet will be after me for the rest of my natural life."

"Don't worry Nagi, you know how I abhor killing.  My men and I will only knock the guards unconscious or incapacitate them.  It's the treasure we're interested in, not the blood," Hiro reassured her.

"Good," Nagi said, beginning to rise.  "Remember, we'll strike in seven days, and try to keep this a secret.  Just about any security official that hears about this plan will probably dismiss it as an unfounded rumor, but better safe than sorry.  Good day.  Ryouga, we're leaving now."

Nagi and Ryouga then left the bar.  Hiro remained sitting at the table for several more minutes, thinking, before leaving too.  A few of the other pirates in the bar noticed his light step and tiny smile and grinned themselves.  This could only mean one thing:  Hiro was about to embark on another incredible raid that most people would write off as impossible.  

"Okay folks, place your bets!  Where will the Prince of Pirates, Lord Hiro J'ineran, strike next, and how much airtime will it get on the Galactic News?" the bartender shouted.  Soon the bar was filled with voices.  Betting pools were another popular pastime, here at the Singing Cabbit.

******

A little while later, Ryouga and Nagi were back inside Ken-ohki, their next destination Hitno-rai.  Currently, they were inside a large, mostly empty room and facing each other from across a distance of several yards.  Nagi had her sword out, and Ryouga was holding onto the handle of his combat umbrella.

"To activate the beam-saber technology," Nagi began, "push in the button located next to your right index finger.  To deactivate it, press the button again.  Try it."

Ryouga pressed the newly installed button on his umbrella.  Sure enough, his entire umbrella including the red material but excluding the handle suddenly started glowing an unearthly green.  He waved it around a few times, adjusting to the added weight.  Pressing it again, the glow disappeared.

"Now reactivate it," Nagi ordered.  Ryouga did so, and the green glow reappeared.

"Right around where your thumb should be is another button that doubles as a dial.  Pressing this button will shoot a laser beam.  Holding it down activates a rapid fire mode.  The first setting is light stun, the second is heavy stun, and the third is penetration, capable of severely harming most organic lifeforms.  Turn it to the first setting and fire at the target on that wall over there," Nagi commanded, pointing at a metallic slab attached to the wall behind her.  It had what vaguely looked like a terran dartboard painted on it.   

Taking aim, Ryouga brought his umbrella up to eye-level and fired.  A green laser beam fired forth from it and struck the middle ring on the slab which promptly absorbed the shot.  Adjusting, Ryouga fired a second shot which hit the target dead center.  Nagi blinked once, impressed.

"Good.  Now that you know the basics, it's time to move on."  With a hum of energy, Nagi's own sword started glowing.

"When wielding an energy blade it is important to remember that practically the only thing that can deflect it is another energy weapon or shield.  It can cut through just about anything with ease so you must be extremely _careful_," Nagi emphasized the last word.  "Never put so much power behind a strike that you can't stop it unless you're aiming for a lethal blow.  Only put your full strength behind glancing blows.  That way, you won't accidentally chop your quarry in two.  Any questions?"

"No, I think your lesson covered everything I need to know," Ryouga answered honestly, smiling slightly and revealing his fangs.  Despite the danger inherent in his modified umbrella, he had to admit to himself that it was pretty cool.  It reminded him of something he'd seen in one of the few movies he had watched but couldn't quite name.  Star Siege, perhaps?  It had definitely been Star something.

"Good," Nagi said, a haughty grin forming on her face.  "I'm going to attack you and I want you to defend and counterattack using your umbrella until I feel you're accustomed enough not to run somebody through by accident.  Prepare yourself…now!"

Nagi lunged forward with sudden speed, bringing her sword down in a simple overhead arc.  Ryouga easily brought his umbrella up in front of him in time to block it and attempted to push Nagi back with his superior strength.  Nagi, used to trading blows and swords with the inhumanly strong Ryoko, used the momentum Ryouga was providing her to jump backwards.  Doing a backflip, she landed in a crouch and swung her glowing sword in a low sidesweep.  Ryouga jumped over this and brought his umbrella down in his own overhead arc that Nagi adeptly avoided by rolling to the left and springing to her feet.

"Not bad," Nagi spoke briefly, eyeing Ryouga's momentary defensive stance, "but you're going to have to do much better if you want to stand a chance against a Jurai noble."  

Nagi attacked again, moving at even greater speeds.  Ryouga barely brought up his umbrella in time to block Nagi's first strike, but she didn't stop there.  Launching a flurry of sword strikes at speeds even Ranma might envy, she kept pushing Ryouga back, forcing him to concentrate entirely on defense and not giving him any time at all to launch an attack of his own.

Realizing he would soon be overwhelmed if he didn't change his strategy, Ryouga jumped back halfway across the room and, using the wall as a springboard, launched himself into the air.  Opening his umbrella up while still airborne, Ryouga threw it at Nagi who sidestepped and frowned, wondering what had been the point of that.  She found out a second later when, to her surprise, she heard the umbrella turning around and heading straight at her.  Not having expected this, she barely managed to jump out of the way.  Ryouga, who had been expecting this and had anticipated Nagi's response, grabbed his returning umbrella as he landed in front of Nagi and swung it at her side.

Nagi, caught off guard, scarcely managed to raise her sword in time to block it as she leapt backwards, hoping to put some distance between them while she attempted to recover the initiative.  Ryouga, however, wasn't about to give her that chance so easily and remained on the offensive, staying close to her and matching her leap for leap.

Inwardly, Nagi frowned.  ^This shouldn't be happening,^ she thought, disturbed that Ryouga was doing so well against her as they continued their 'training session'.  She had known by his performance back on Nieurt that he was a decent fighter but hadn't expected him to posses this much skill and talent.  Most of her opponents usually relied on their innate abilities or superpowers coupled with experience to combat her.  Finding a challenger with actual fighting skill on this level was exceedingly rare.  For Nagi, someone who hated to lose, it wasn't entirely pleasant either, but another, darker part of her was positively enthused.  This was the most difficult fight she'd been in since her last one with Ryoko, and she did appreciate a challenge.

As for Ryouga, he was actually enjoying himself for perhaps the first time since leaving Nerima.  Nagi was proving to be a most difficult challenge, one that required his full concentration to hold off.  Sure, he wasn't going full out, but he could tell that Nagi wasn't either.  No whips and ShiShiHoukoudans were flying through the air, after all.  This practice was actually…fun.

Nagi and Ryouga battled on, sword and umbrella clashing and parrying, performing an intricate dance of lunges, strikes, and blocks.  For well over twenty minutes this 'waltz' lasted as Ryouga's grin grew broader and Nagi's serious look grew more serious and resolved with just possibly a hint of enjoyment showing through.

In the end though, there could only be one winner, and Nagi was determined to be the triumphant one.  Having finally managed to herd Ryouga into a corner she tensed and lunged at her full blinding speed.  Ryouga made the motion to block, as she had expected, but before their two weapons could connect she leapt, jumping over Ryouga and rebounding off the wall behind him.  A streak to the naked eye, she turned off her weapon and watched as Ryouga attempted to sidestep her attack but he was too late.  Nagi stopped her blade mere centimeters from the left side of Ryouga's neck.   

A small grin of triumph appeared on Nagi's face before noticing that Ryouga was looking at something to her side.  Turning her head slightly to the left, she saw that Ryouga's umbrella (also now deactivated) was about a foot from her side and was halted in a swinging motion.  Had she actually decapitated him, his arm would've had enough momentum to continue its deadly side arc and separate her waist from her hips.

"Very good," Nagi finally said honestly, moving her weapon away from Ryouga's neck after a tense moment and reattaching it to her side.  She wasn't sure whether she should be pleased or irritated at Ryouga's tying with her, but at least she knew that she wouldn't have to worry about protecting him as well as herself when they reached Hitno-rai.  

Ryouga drew his umbrella back as well and looked at Nagi with new respect.  He'd been a little preoccupied back on Nieurt with wallowing in despair and fighting for his very survival and hadn't been able to properly appreciate Nagi's level of skill during that bar fight.  Now that he had a good idea of what she could truly do, his opinion of her went way up.

"You're pretty impressive yourself, Nagi, and your speed is incredible.  If I hadn't had so much experience with quick opponents," Ryouga frowned briefly, remembering Ranma, "you would've beaten me within the first 5 minutes."

Nagi filed this tidbit of information away for a later day and replying with a begrudging, "You don't give yourself enough credit," left the room.  She still had a few details of the plan that she wanted to go over with Ken-ohki, and now seemed like a good time.

Ryouga, after a moment's hesitation, reactivated his umbrella and began to work its new abilities into his warm-up exercises and training regimen.  Practice makes perfect, after all, and Hitno-rai was a complete unknown to Ryouga.  It would probably be for the best if he were in top form when they arrived.

^Just seven more days,^ Ryouga thought, beginning a complex kata.  ^Seven more days until this new journey ends, one way or another.^

End Chapter 6. 


	7. Chapter 7: A Peaceful Interval

Tenchi Universe: No Need for a Team-Up! 

Rowan Seven 

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except for the original ones. The characters you do recognize are copyrighted by their respective companies. I'm not making any money off this fanfic. ^ ^ indicates thoughts.  ~ ~ indicates telepathy. 

Chapter 7:  A Peaceful Interval

"Thanks Ken-ohki," Ryouga said gratefully to the nearby floating crystal, intently watching the three forcefield generators positioned in front of him.  The two of them were currently in the ship's training room, a place where Ryouga had found himself spending an awful lot of time the past two days.  When he wasn't training he was reading up on the galaxy, realizing that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity though if his directional curse didn't weaken he'd have plenty of chances to get acquainted with the modern universe up close and personally soon enough.

~You're welcome, though I would appreciate being told why you wanted these shield projectors set up here,~ Ken-ohki replied, curiosity and a tinge of concern evident in his telepathic voice.  

"Practice," Ryouga answered, closing his eyes and slipping into a state of concentration.  ~Using the Breaking Point Technique on energy shields is still new to me, and before trying it on one that surrounds an entire planet I'd like to get some experience as well as try something new out.  Now, please activate the forcefields.~

~Sure thing,~ Ken-ohki telepathed back as, with a mental command, the three generators suddenly hummed to life, a reddish barrier of energy surrounding each one.

Ryouga, his senses stretched to their limits, carefully examined the breaking points.  Singling one out, he slowly extended one of his fingers and struck it.  With a flash of light it exploded, sending small balls of crimson energy across the room.  A few struck Ryouga himself while the others hit the floor, ceiling, and walls.  Fortunately for all, Ken-ohki had been smart enough to use incredibly weak forcefields.  The energy that had been released was hardly enough to disperse a stun beam let alone break a wall or injure someone with Ryouga's constitution.

Ryouga opened his eyes, frowning somewhat due to his slightly singed clothing.  ~Ken-ohki, please tell me what the status of the forcefield generator is,~ he asked.

A second later Ken-ohki answered, sounding a tad surprised.  ~Physical damage is insignificant and was probably caused by the sudden shock of the forcefield detonating more than anything else.  Mechanically, this device is in good shape and could easily be reactivated if not for one thing:  power.  Knocking out the forcefield has somehow completely depleted the generator's powercells.~

"That's good, right?" Ryouga asked, speaking aloud again.

The crystal raised and lowered itself vigorously in the motions of a nod.  ~Definitely.  If the same thing happens when you knock out Hitno-rai's shield then we won't have to worry about the Jurains setting up a new one for at least a week, and by then we'll be long gone.  That's one concern of mine gone.~

"And of mine," Ryouga added, focusing on the second forcefield generator now.  "I'm going to try it one more time, and I want you to tell me if the same results occur," Ryouga said, closing his eyes again though this time he opened them a second later.  With his usual cry of, "Bakusai Tenketsu," he struck the second generator's breaking point.

BOOM!

Once again, crimson balls of energy flew across the room and struck the walls and ceiling though since he was more prepared this time Ryouga wasn't hit as much.

~Same results,~ Ken-okhi finally said after taking a moment to run a scan.  ~Once again the powercells are utterly depleted.~

Ryouga nodded.  He still didn't know why the breaking point drained forcefields, but at least he knew that they did.  This was more than he knew yesterday so he considered it an improvement.

Shaking his head as if to clear it, Ryouga backed up a couple of steps from the next and last forcefield generator and blinked, identifying its breaking point.  Cautiously, he raised his right hand and concentrated.

^I can't believe I never thought of this before,^ Ryouga thought a bit angrily to himself as he focused, reliving the train of thought that had brought him here.  He'd been reading up on what he could of Hitno-rai and was learning about its forcefield when it had dawned on him that, in its current form, the Bakusai Tenketsu would require him to actually touch the forcefield in order to destroy it.  Not fancying going for a space walk in the middle of what promised to be a pitched battle, he'd decided to consider adaptations.

It was then that releasing the sliver of ki needed to hit the breaking point precisely as a miniature ki blast occurred to him.  There was no reason that he knew of why performing the breaking point technique from a distance wouldn't work just as well as close-up, and upon review he was upset at himself for not thinking of this earlier.  True, in his battles he'd typically used the Bakusai Tenketsu's training benefits more than the actual technique itself, but that was a poor defense.  

"Bakusai Tenketsu!" Ryouga suddenly shouted, gathering ki into a ball smaller than a centimeter, using the same method that he used to create a ShiShiHoukoudan but not going quite so far and generating less power into it.  The small ball of ki, jut like he'd hoped, appeared in his hand.  Taking great care in aiming, he released it and watched very carefully as it quickly traveled the distance between where he was standing and the forceshield generator.

BOOM!

For the third time that day globes of crimson energy were scattered throughout the training room as Ryouga grinned proudly.  ^Take that Ranma!^ he thought smugly, ^You're not the only one who can adapt techniques.^

~That was…different,~ Ken-ohki intoned, pointing out the obvious.

"Yeah, I know," Ryouga answered.  "This way, when we arrive at Hitno-rai, I won't have to go outside the ship in order to bring the shield down.  I can just shoot a blast out through an airlock, making my task much safer."

~Ah, Nagi ought to be pleased.  This will make it much easier to get past the defenses.  Anything else you've been working on?~ Ken-ohki asked.

Ryouga shook his head.  "No, mostly I've been practicing with my enhanced umbrella.  With its new abilities there's a lot more that I can do with it, and I have a feeling that I'm going to need every trick and advantage I can acquire for Hitno-rai."

~Been reading up on the power of Jurai, I take it?~ Ken-ohki telepathed.

Ryouga blinked.  "How'd you-"

Ken-ohki chuckled.  ~Your intensity and worry didn't make it _that_ hard to guess.  Knowing that you'll be going up against the power of Jurai tends to have that effect on people.  Heck, even Nagi respects and tries to stay away from the Jurai royal family.~

Ryouga frowned upon hearing this.  "Tell me…is Jurai power truly as strong as your database claims?" he asked a tad apprehensively.

Ken-ohki hesitated for a moment before responding.  ~Yes and no,~ he finally answered.  ~In most, it never amounts to much more than forcefield generation and enhanced spiritual sensitivity.  In others, it can make a warrior without peer.  In certain rare cases, however, the Power of Jurai truly lives up to its reputation, bestowing enough strength to destroy armies and make planets tremble.  However, due to his extremely old age, I don't think Prince Kenji will pose much of a problem.  He probably falls somewhere between the first two categories.~

"You're the expert, but for some reason I doubt we'll be so fortunate.  Things never go easy for me," Ryouga said in return. 

~…And knowing Nagi's luck, you might be right.~ Ken-ohki replied.  ~Still, there's no use dwelling on it.  We'll find out just how strong this Prince Kenji is once we arrive, and all we can do in the meantime is plan, prepare, and practice.~

"Thanks Ken-ohki.  And who knows?  Maybe your assessment will be accurate after all.  Say...Ken-ohki?" Ryouga asked a tad hesitantly.

~Yes?~

"Do you think you could guide me to my room after another hour has gone by?  I'd rather not get lost and *cough* stumble into Nagi's quarters." Ryouga requested, his cheeks a light red.

Ken-ohki chuckled.  ~Sure thing.  I'd prefer not to see this partnership end before it's even had a chance to begin, though Nagi's reaction would probably be _quite_ amusing.  See you in an hour then.~

******

Nagi was dreaming again. 

"Ryoko, prepare to die!"

As she swung her charged sword at her opponent, she was also wondering what she'd done to spawn such weird dreams lately.  She didn't even remember ever being in the city she now found herself in.

"Too slow _again_, Nagi!" Ryoko taunted with a cocky smile, teleporting several feet to the left.

Nagi felt her rage grow, lashing out wildly as a result and wondering why she was doing so.  She never let her temper get the better of her in a fight.  "Just you wait Ryoko!  When I get my hands on you-"

"_If_ you get your hands on me, and that's looking more and more unlikely by the second!" Ryoko arrogantly interrupted, irritatingly dodging and teleporting away from all of her strikes.

That was when it began to rain piglets.

"Arrgh!  What are these creatures?!" Nagi yelled, intently scanning the skies and trying to dodge the small black animals as they fell.  

"How should I know? This is _your_ dream after all, and I'm dead to boot!" Ryoko pointed out, the smell of smoke wafting up from around her as the pigs collided with her forcefield, squealing from the intense heat as they slid across it to the ground.

Nagi's eyes flashed.  "You're not dead!  I won't let you be dead!  You're merely hiding out while your wounds heal, and once I find you we'll fight again and things will return to normal!  You're not de-" A bombardment of pigs landing on her interrupted her rant and knocked her down.

Ryoko gazed down at her sadly and with pity.  "Do you truly believe that, Nagi?  You saw my wounds and can accurately guess how seriously I overexerted myself to reach Jurai.  Even _I_ have my limits, and in the condition I was in there's no way I could've survived that."

Nagi violently pushed the pigs off her and stood back up, standing mere inches in front of Ryoko.  "It doesn't matter what you say!  This is only a dream, and you're merely a fragment of my subconscious!  Besides, the Arcadian said you're alive!"

Suddenly and without warning, Ryoko was pushed aside by a small, spiky red-haired blur pushing a lecture stand.  It stopped where Ryoko had been standing revealing…

"Yes, it's me, Washu, the greatest scientific genius in the universe!  Mwahaha!" Washu crowed.  Her two puppet look-a-likes appeared on her shoulders.

"Yes, the greatest in the universe!" shouted Washu Puppet-A.

"You're so smart, Washu!" added Washu Puppet-B.

Nagi grabbed Washu by the scruff of her neck and placed her blade centimeters from Washu's throat.  Deciding that discretion was the better part of valor, the two puppets disappeared.  "You have one minute to tell me what you're doing here, and it better be good!  I'm not in the mood for any more of this lunacy!"  As Nagi spoke this, several of the piglets sprouted white wings and flew away.

Washu clucked.  "You're acting rather out of character, Nagi.  I don't think I've ever seen you so worked up before.  Then again, with Ryoko dying, your refusal to accept the truth, your obsessive behavior these past few months, and a new mental bond I suppose it's perfectly reasonable for you to be so stressed out-"

"Thirty seconds," Nagi growled.

Frowning slightly, Washu faded out of Nagi's hold and reappeared behind her lecture stand.  Nagi blinked.  "How-" she began.

"This is a dream, Nagi.  Anything's possible," Washu answered.  "Anyway, as for why I'm here…you're deliberately misunderstanding something.  The Arcadian never said that Ryoko is alive."

"But-" Nagi started to say.

"No buts!" Washu shouted, waving her left hand and muting Nagi.  "Back to my dissertation, the Arcadian merely agreed to tell you where Ryoko is.  He, it, she, or whatever pronoun accurately describes such a being never said anything as to the state Ryoko is in.  You might end up finding a corpse."

"She's right, you know." Ryoko said, reappearing next to Washu.  This time, however, she had a hole in her chest that was bleeding profusely.  "There's a good chance that when you find me I'll be a stiff and lifeless carcass.  What will you do then?"  As if to enunciate her point, Ryoko suddenly collapsed, dead.

"…" Nagi tried to speak.

"Oh yeah!  I almost forgot!  Sorry about that," Washu said sheepishly, waving her left hand again and restoring Nagi's voice.

"I…don't…know!  Are you happy now?  I don't know what I'll do if Ryoko's dead, alright?!" Nagi admitted at last, glowering at Washu.  "But in the meantime, I will not accept that she's dead.  As long as there's a chance she's still alive, I won't give up.  She's my prey, and this hunt won't end till I have her body, one way or another."

"I didn't know you cared," Ryoko rasped sickly and sarcastically, blood still flowing from her wound.

Washu kicked Ryoko in her chest.  "Hey, shut up!  You're supposed to dead!"

"I'm getting better," Ryoko commented.

Washu shook her head.  "Oh no, this is _not_ going to turn into a Monty Python sketch.  We already have LucasArts upset at us.  There's no need to anger the British as well."

"Darn, that means we'll have to fire the Knights of Ni.  Sorry Azaka and Kamidake, but it looks like you won't have a cameo appearance in this dream sequence after all," Ryoko apologized to thin air.

A lot of muttering and grumbling was heard before being overshadowed by a loud and piercing shout, "Where in the universe am I now?!!"

Ryouga suddenly entered the dreamscape, umbrella open and with piglets bouncing off it.  Nagi noticed that he looked rather on edge, as if the sight of it raining piglets bothered him on some level.

When he spotted Nagi, his mouth opened in surprise.  "What are you doing in my dream?" he asked.

Nagi blinked and with just a trace of anger in her voice replied, "What do you mean 'your dream'?  This is _my_ dream!"

It was Ryouga's turn to blink and look confused.  "What are you talking about?  This _has_ to be my dream!  I doubt you have nightmares like this, and I also distinctly remember falling asleep."

Nagi drew closer to him.  "Perhaps, but you're not the one who has had to deal with this insanity for nearly an hour!  I was here first so unless we're somehow sharing a dream…" Nagi's voice trailed off as illumination dawned.

^Our dreams…they've been bleeding off into each other!^ Nagi realized with dismay, clenching her left fist and wishing that Arcadian was here so she could throttle it.  The idea of sharing her dreams with anyone was extremely disturbing to someone as private and secretive as herself, and if her dreams the past few days had been influenced by Ryouga's life as she now suspected, then he probably had been dreaming her experiences as well meaning that he might actually know a bit about her past, something that she tried her very best to keep buried.  

"Who's your friend, Nagi?  He's *cough* cute," Ryoko teased weakly, halting Nagi's train of thought.  

Washu answered for her as Ryouga blushed crimson.  "He's her new and temporary partner, Hibiki Ryouga!  Apparently Nagi misses you so much that she's actually agreed to team up with someone, and in exchange for breaking into Hitno-rai and turning the infamous Prince Kenji in to the Galaxy Police Nagi will learn where your body, regardless of its vital signs, currently is.  Isn't that sweet?"

"Oh, I'm _so_ touched!" Ryoko said before breaking into a coughing fit.

"Er…maybe this is your dream after all," Ryouga conceded, not having leapt to the same conclusion as Nagi.  "I certainly don't remember ever meeting these two before."

"I'm Washu, the greatest scientific genius in the universe!" Washu introduced herself.  Gesturing at Ryoko, she added, "And this female with the ambiguous lifesigns is the Space Pirate Ryoko.  Say hi Ryoko!"

Ryoko remained silent and motionless.

"Hmm, I guess she's dead again," Washu concluded after a moment's observation.  "She changes states more often than Shrodinger's cat!"

Nagi eyed her surroundings with growing agitation.  "I don't have to take this," she muttered at last.  "I'm going to wake up!"  And she did.

End Chapter 7.


	8. Chapter 8: A Target Reached

Tenchi Universe: No Need for a Team-Up! 

Rowan Seven 

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except for the original ones. The characters you do recognize are copyrighted by their respective companies. I'm not making any money off this fanfic. ^ ^ indicates thoughts.  ~ ~ indicates telepathy.

Chapter 8:  A Target Reached

Ken-ohki drifted through space, energy crackling on and off over the ship's surface and with several ugly looking and black scorch marks.  Atmospheric gases leaked out into space, leaving a misty trail behind.  Barely moving under the power of one engine and at a lopsided angle to boot, Ken-ohki looked like he had just barely survived a pitched and desperate space battle.

That was exactly what Nagi wanted any observer to think.

Having successfully crept past the Jurain border and patrols and currently hiding behind a large asteroid that was "conveniently" (meaning that they'd pushed it) heading towards the Hitno-rai system, Ken-ohki was now merely an hour away from his target.  Soon he'd have to travel outside of the asteroid's shadow and head towards the actual planet itself, revealing their presence.  

A fully functional Ken-ohki would be surrounded within minutes, hence the current charade. A damaged Ken-ohki that looked like he might blow up at any moment would only be cautiously followed as communication attempts were made.  In reality, though, Ken-ohki was as dangerous as he'd ever been.  The scorch marks were self-inflicted and didn't affect any of his more critical systems at all, the leaking atmosphere was coming from airlocks and cargo bays that were only open by a hair and closed off from the ship's core, and his other engines were merely turned off but could be reactivated at a moment's notice.  Just to make things more convincing, artificial gravity and most secondary systems were deactivated to make it look like Ken-ohki was low on power too.

Tethered securely to the floor of one of the aforementioned airlocks and wearing a spacesuit, Ryouga meditated in mid-"air" and waited in silence for Nagi's telepathic signal to strike.  His thoughts, though, were troubled.  For the past 5 days Nagi had been even more cold and distant, his only real interactions with her being their training sessions, and even during these she usually only spoke to him to tell him when she saw something that could be improved or to teach him a trick with his laser-umbrella.

At first he thought he'd done something to offend her (Who knew what was considered taboo by an alien?), but after a nervous apology on his part Nagi had assured him that he'd done nothing wrong and then left without a backward glance.  Now very confused and worried, he'd asked Ken-ohki what was wrong and finally learned about their shared dreaming.  Though no longer occurring since Nagi had started sleeping at different hours than him, Ken-ohki had explained to him that Nagi wasn't comfortable about sharing anything with anyone, especially when it concerned her life and private thoughts.  

Ryouga, now also vaguely disturbed and uncomfortable by what Nagi may have learned about his life and self, told Ken-ohki that he understood perfectly and had also closed himself off to an extent.  It's not like he and Nagi were friends or anything, and their association would almost certainly end after they accomplished this mission.  Another part of him, though, argued that he shouldn't let their relationship end on such a cold note, and that he was taking the easy way out just like he always had with Akane.  Isn't zero g introspection grand?

******

Nagi was belted down in her command chair, hands steepled together, and waiting.  Unlike many people who have found themselves in similar situations, Nagi didn't mind the waiting.  As a bounty hunter, she'd learned long ago that waiting paid off and had honed her patience accordingly.

No, what bothered her were the unknown variables.  With most of her assignments, Nagi knew exactly what she was up against and what would be required from her.  This assignment, though, was completely different in those regards.  Her target, Prince Kenj, possessed an unknown level of power, the planet was unfamiliar to her, and for the first time since her younger days as a bounty hunter she had a partner.  These were not her prerequisites for a good mission.

Still, she was a professional and knew better than to expect life to always work out the way she wanted it too.  She would perform her mission with the resources she had on hand, do her best, and hope that was enough.  That didn't mean it still didn't bother her though.

~Everything's ready and waiting, Nagi,~ Ken-ohki informed her.  ~We'll be disembarking from the asteroid in approximately thirty minutes, and if all goes according to plan it will only take us 20 minutes to weave through Hitno-rai's defenses and land you and Ryouga on the planet.~

"Thank you Ken-ohki," Nagi replied.  Sensing that there was something else he wanted to say, she added, "And?"

~You know me too well,~ Ken-ohki said good-naturedly.  ~I was just going to suggest that you have a talk with Ryouga when this is all over.  He seems like a good person, and in case we ever need his help again it would be good for us if we all departed on amicable terms.~

"This is business, Ken-ohki, and nothing more.  There's no reason for us to get all friendly with each other, and even if we ever did need Ryouga's help again it's unlikely that we'd be able to find him," Nagi replied dismissively.

~Still, you never know what the future might bring, and it wouldn't hurt anything if you did.  I swear, you've been almost rude to him in your coldness, and I'd prefer his memories of us to be a little fonder than they currently are,~ Ken-ohki pleaded.  ~Just because Ryouga might have seen a little bit of your past is no reason to ostracize him.  About the only friends you currently have are myself and possibly Ryoko in that strange hunter/prey/ally relationship you two have got going, and in this cold and gigantic universe that's not very much.  It might do you some good to open up slightly to someone else for a change.~

Nagi sighed.  "Ken-ohki, if I agree to talk to him after we capture Prince Kenji will you stop lecturing me?  I swear, ever since you fell in love with Ryo-ohki you've been sounding more and more like a psychiatrist by the day."

Ken-ohki chuckled.  ~Well, they do say that love is supposed to make you wiser.~

"Or a fool," Nagi retorted acidly, remembering Ryoko and her possibly fatal sacrifice for Tenchi.

******

^Boring, boring, boring.  This job is incredibly booor-ing!^ Lord Yamada, Commander in Charge of Her Majesty's Forces over the planet Hitno-rai, thought to himself as he sat in his white, metallic command chair and tiredly surveyed his command center on this space station, the nexus point between the planet below and all the forces assigned to protect it.

Emotionlessly he noted for the 50th time that shift that, as usual, Lieutenants Kiyo and Jabonian were manning the sensor and communication stations several yards in front of him.  Farther ahead still was the giant viewscreen, currently displaying a view of the planet below them.  Behind him Lieutenants Minoas, Alti, and Ban were, respectfully, manning the engineering, weapons, and tactical stations.  

None of them, though, were really paying much attention to their consoles' readouts.  Ban had an indiscreet earphone inserted in his left ear and was listening to various subspace music stations.  Alti and Kiyo were gossiping over the communications link between their stations about whom in the current Jurai aristocracy was trying to kill whom, who was trying to marry whom, and who was trying to do both.  Minoas was intently playing a game of chess against himself on his monitor, and Jabonian was watching a movie and trying his hardest not to cry.  When Lord Yamada, a young officer seeking to make an impression, had taken command over a year ago he'd tried to do away with this informal and casual state of affairs, but after a month he'd become bored out of his mind as well and the diversions returned with an addition:  Lord Yamada now usually brought an electronic book viewer with him when he was in the command center.

Today, though, things were different.  Lord Yamada had overslept and, in his rush to make it to the command center on time (Computers noted whenever someone was late and given enough demerits would send a report to high command with a negative recommendation.) had left his electronic book viewer in his quarters.  Now, after writing the daily report (All quiet on the Hitno-rai front.  There is nothing new to report nor is there anything exciting or unusual happening.  End report.), reading over the crew reports (Everything's running smoothly, no problems here, and we're all bored to tears with this daily and unchanging routine.  If something interesting doesn't happen soon we're all going to go insane!), refusing several requests for early R&R (If I have to suffer so do you.  Signed, your benevolent commander.), and humming practically every song he knew thrice he found himself with nothing to do but watch his bridge crew lazily go about their routines and entertain themselves as best they could.  Hence his current thoughts.

Thankfully and refreshingly unexpectedly, a light on Lieutenant Kiyo's station began to flash.  Every eye turned to it.  Kiyo looked down at her station, read the readouts, with eyes widening noticeably rechecked them, and then rapidly stood up and turned around to face Lord Yamada, an excited expression on her face.

"Lord Yamada, sir, a seriously damaged cabbit ship which appears to be the Ken-ohki has just moved out from behind an asteroid that is passing near this system and is on a direct and somewhat wobbly course to Hitno-rai!" Kiyo repeated breathlessly, her green eyes flashing.

The excitement that had been apparent in Kiyo's frame now spread to everyone else, and Yamada felt himself grinning widely though he schooled his features a moment later.  ^This,^ he thought to himself, ^is definitely something new.^

Standing up, he gave his orders.  "Jabonian, try to open a communications link with that ship.  I want to know what it's doing here.  Ban, have the Gold Star Squadron surround that ship but tell them not to get too close.  I don't want them to be damaged if there's an explosion.  Alti, bring our shields and weapons to full power.  Minoas, make sure we're ready for anything.  Kiyo, keep your sensors trained on that ship.  I want to know its every move."

"Sir, direct communications link established with Ken-ohki.  Nagi wants to talk to you.  However, the quality of the transmission is rather poor.  It appears that Ken-ohki has suffered extreme damage," Jabonian reported, movie now turned off and intently watching his screens.

"Understood.  Put it on the main viewscreen," Lord Yamada ordered.

The scene of the planet was immediately replaced by static that slowly resolved itself into a picture of Ken-ohki's green and crystalline bridge that flickered slightly every few seconds.  Nagi, a look of intense anger and determination in her eyes, was fastened into her command chair and looking none too pleased.

"Bounty Hunter Nagi, you are in Jurai Space," Yamada said coolly.  "I, Lord Yamada and commander of this space station, must insist that you depart immediately.  If your ship is too damaged to depart we will assist you in making repairs, but-"

"I am not leaving, Yamada.  Ryoko is on her way here, and I will not let her escape me again!" Nagi replied, her every word dripping with obsession.

Yamada felt every member of his command crew gasp and pale.  Not letting his panic show, Yamada probed for more information.  "You mean to tell me that the infamous Space Pirate Ryoko is on her way here?  Why?  She would know just as well as anybody that the planet's forcefield makes it impossible to rob."

Nagi grinned superiorly.  "Nothing is impossible, Yamada, and apparently Ryoko has allied herself with an alien capable of disrupting forcefields.  I managed to intercept her not too long ago, but with that alien's help Ryo-ohki easily brushed Ken-ohki aside and critically injured him in the process.  It's a miracle I made it here before she did."

Yamada gulped.  If this was true it could spell serious trouble later, but all he had to go on right now was Nagi's word, and she was obviously not one of the trustworthiest characters in the universe.  He would have to play it safe.

"Be that as it may," he began, "I still must insist that you depart.  If what you say is true, even with our forcefields down this fleet should be more than enough to handle Ryo-ohki without the help of an injured cabbit.  We will bring Ryoko to justice ourselves provided she shows up."

"Ryoko is _my_ prey!" Nagi retorted, apparently not pleased with Yamada's answer.

"A 'prey' that you are currently unable to catch," Yamada noted dryly.  "I think my forces will be able to take things from here.  Thank you for the information, though.  Regardless, if you continue to advance I'll have to arrest you for illegally entering Jurai space so I believe it would be best for all of us if you just left now.  I can assign an 'escort', if you like."

Nagi glared at him.  "Fine, I'll leave," she acquiesced at last, "but I think you'll regret your decision.  You're underestimating the threat you face."  With that ominous note, she severed the communications link.

Yamada released a breath he'd been holding.  "Kiyo, is she retreating?" he asked.

Kiyo glanced up from her console.  "Yes sir!  Ken-ohki is beginning to turn-  What in the world…Sir, a narrow beam has just been emitted from one of Ken-ohki's cargo bays.  It's headed directly at Hitno-rai's forceshield!"

^What does she think she's doing?  That forceshield is one of the strongest in the galaxy.^ Yamada wondered to himself, saying aloud, "Ban, order the Gold Star Squadron to pursue-"

"Sir, Ken-ohki has just sprung to life!  Sensors indicate he's now functioning at full power and-  Great Tsunami, no!  Sir, that energy beam has just struck Hitno-rai's shield and somehow caused it to explode!  We've got energy discharges heading outward in all directions!" Kiyo reported frantically.

"Order all hands to brace for impact and have our ships pursue and capture Nagi!  We can't let her escape-" Yamada began but was cut off as the entire space station shook as a giant energy discharge slammed into it.

"Commander, I'm receiving damage reports from the entire fleet!  Many of our ships were hit by that shield explosion, and-" Jabonian began but was interrupted by Kiyo.

"Sir, sensors are picking up a dissipating cloaking field.  It's the pirate 2nd generation treeship Ruby!  It's joined up with Ken-ohki and both ships are currently heading towards Hitno-rai!"

^I know I wanted a little excitement, but this is ridiculous!^ thought Yamada.  Frowning, he gave new orders.  "Ban, have every ship that can follow and attack Ruby and Ken-ohki.  We can't let them invade the planet.  Jabonian, send out a distress signal telling everyone that we're under attack by pirates and that they've knocked down the forceshield and considerably weakened the fleet.  We need help and fast.  Kiyo, keep your eyes trained on your sensors.  If more ships decloak or appear I want to know about it immediately.  Minoas, fix any damages caused to this space station by that energy discharge and try to figure out how they took down the shield, but don't bother reactivating it.  Doing so would be pointless if they can just knock it down again.  Alti, lock onto those two ships and fire as soon as possible.  Oh, and someone contact the planet and alert the ground forces of the current situation and tell them to prepare for a pirate raid."

"Yes sir!" his crew responded, battle instincts and training returning after so many years of nonuse.  ^But will it be enough?^ wondered Yamada, facing the viewscreen which now showed a picture of Ken-ohki and Ruby's progress towards Hitno-rai.  He winced as he saw ship after ship of his being evaded and incapacitated.  He only had 3rd and 4th generation treeships under his command, and against a 2nd generation treeship and a cabbit of Ken-ohki's maturity and power he feared the worst.  A thought came to him then, and he couldn't stop himself from bitterly chucking once at it.  ^Be careful what you wish for.^

******

"CHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWW!!!"

Ken-ohki and Ruby, with an effortless grace that would embarrass the Jurai Royal Navy in retrospect, glided to, thro, and past Hitno-rai's outer defenses and careened through the planet's atmosphere at speeds that most would call insane and suicidal.  Crashing through the thick, white clouds Ruby and Ken-ohki pulled up at the last minute, leaving sonic booms in their wake.  Quickly maneuvering past or just plain destroying the automated laser defenses that fired at them, the two mighty ships rushed towards the capitol city.  Ruby's cargo bays opened and small shuttles hovered out, each one carrying a small group of pirates.  

Once the pillaging crafts were all away, Ruby broke formation with Ken-ohki and launched herself back into the atmosphere and out to space to keep the main fleet busy.  Ken-ohki continued on his path and continued to pick up speed as he shot past the capitol city and headed towards a royal tree palace several miles off.  Not bothering to slow down as the giant tree, towering over all others, came into view Ken-ohki cried his famous and frightening battle cry and flew straight into it.

"CHOOOOOOOOOOO-"

BOOM!

Ignoring the alarms and klaxons that were now ringing from practically every direction, Ken-ohki slowly and sluggishly righted himself and turned around to face the glaring, impromptu entrance he'd just created with his collision.  Not wasting a second, the doors of a cargo bay on his underside irised open and out jumped Ryouga (now out of his spacesuit and wearing his normal get-up) and Nagi.  With one last "Chow!" Ken-ohki flew back out of the hole he'd created, widening it slightly, and proceeded to join Ruby in the aerial battle above.

"Follow me!" Nagi ordered, glancing over her right shoulder once to make sure Ryouga was okay and focused.  

"Like I have any choice," Ryouga mumbled to himself, casually surveying the room and its alien design and architecture in silent wonder as he followed Nagi, keeping his senses alert for any dangers.  

Ignoring Ryouga's sarcastic remark, Nagi quickly sprinted through rooms and hallways, trying to orient herself.  Jurai palaces were typically all the same with a few variations here and there, and if she could discern the layout of this tree then finding the royal living quarters would be simple.  Not everyone, though, was willing to make this easy for her.

"Stop right where thou art, vile invader!  You have invaded sacrosanct Jurai land, and as a punishment-Aaaarghhhhhh…" 

The Jurain guards who'd surrounded them soon found themselves taken out by a combination of Nagi's whip and Ryouga's bandannas.  Nagi arched her left eyebrow slightly and somewhat questioningly afterwards as she noticed that Ryouga still had a bandanna around his head but decided to let it pass.  Later, though, she decided that she would really have to ask Ryouga just how many bandannas he was wearing.  Putting aside such mysteries for a later date, the two continued running through the Jurai complex, easily defeating and knocking unconscious any guards they came across.

Eventually their wandering gained direction and, with Ryouga following a step behind Nagi, they reached a large wooden door with intricate carved designs depicting various scenes from Jurai's history carved on it.  Standing before this door was a blue-haired Jurain Knight, wearing the traditional ceremonial garb of his station and holding a wooden staff with a gem affixed to the top of it.  Eyeing Nagi and Ryouga grimly with his serious green eyes, he lifted his staff from off the ground, titled it at a nearly 90 degree angle, and assumed a combat stance.  Obviously, this guy wasn't a pushover like the rest of the security staff had been.

"Nagi and ally," he intoned coldly, practically emotionlessly, "I will not permit you to pass through these doors.  It is my duty to protect Prince Kenji from all harm, and you two obviously qualify as such.  Turn back now and try to escape from Hitno-rai or face the consequences."

"Sorry, but quitting even when it's the smart thing to do is something that I'm just not good at," Ryouga admitted, grinning mirthlessly and assuming a combat stance of his own.  In front of him, Nagi tensed and prepared to spring into action.  Before the battle could commence, though, the door slid aside, seemingly of its own accord.

"Ishitaka, stand down.  I'll…deal with these intruders myself," commanded an old and tired male voice from beyond the doorframe.  

"But sir," the Jurain Knight Ishitaka protested, turning around to face the door, "it's my duty and if you should lose-"

"Enough!" rasped the ancient voice.  "Do not worry about me.  I'll be fine, and in the unlikely event that I am captured you will be inculpable.  I'm giving you a direct order to leave these premises and assist the security forces in the capitol city.  I consider the pirates to be a more serious threat to the planet than these two.  Understood?"

"Yes sir," Ishitake said through grit teeth, obviously unhappy with this course.  Not able to disobey a direct order, though, he slowly turned around again so that he was facing Nagi and Ryouga.  Glowering at them as he passed, he moved down the hallway and out of sight.

"You two can come in now," the old voice informed them, a tinge of weariness present.

Not wasting a moment, Nagi immediately accepted the invitation, prepared to lunge and jump should it turn out to be a trap.  Behind her Ryouga followed.  Stepping through the doorframe led them into a large (about the size of a small baseball field) and darkened room that was roughly 2-stories high.  In the back left corner was an ornate bed curtained off with what looked like expensive violet velvet; a bookcase laden with actual books took up the entire right wall; next to the bookcase were numerous baroque tables, couches, and chairs; and the left side of the room was mostly vacant with one large, brown wardrobe, a smooth, curved, and somewhat conspicuous mirror, and another door which probably led to a bathroom.

In the very center of the room was half a sphere with a four-foot radius and glowing a faint gold coming up from the floor.  In front of this sphere and with his back facing Nagi and Ryouga was a man of medium height and clad all in black, loose fitting, regal clothes and wearing a black cape.  His long, gray hair was tied back by a dark blue ribbon in a ponytail that went down to his waist, and he had a lithe and powerful frame despite his obvious great age.

"Nagi the Bounty Hunter, I presume?" he spoke in an aged, almost ragged voice, holding his hands over the sphere as if warming them.  "I'm honored that you would go to such great lengths to capture me, especially when the bounty on my head is such an insignificant trifle."  He chuckled self-deprecatingly once and then slowly turned around and gestured vaguely at Ryouga, at last revealing his ancient, wrinkled face, his sharp but seemingly sad and weary eyes, large, bushy, and gray eyebrows, and neatly trimmed and short gray beard.  "I'm afraid I don't know you name, however.  Do an old man a favor and introduce yourself."

"Hibiki Ryouga," Ryouga replied, perturbed.  This wasn't what he'd expected.  The old man nodded and bowed slightly.

Nagi reached for her sword.  "And you're the infamous Prince Kenji, correct?" she asked, hand over the sword's hilt and prepared to unsheathe it in a second.  Likewise, Ryouga tightened his grip on his umbrella.

The old man grinned humorlessly upon hearing this.  "That I am, and while I praise you for getting this far I'm afraid that I can't let you take me away.  It would be a disgrace to Jurai if I was tried by the GP."

"What makes you think you have a choice in the matter?" Nagi asked evenly, a hunter's smile forming on her face.

Kenji flexed his left hand once and a Jurain tree sword appeared in it.  A second later a long, thin, gray blade of energy projected out of the hilt.  "My sword, for starters," he answered calmly, eyeing Nagi and Ryouga carefully as if judging how much of a challenge they'd pose.  A crackling gray aura sprang into existence around him.  "And my Jurai power for finishing!"

With that said, Prince Kenji, great-granduncle of Princesses Aeka and Sasami, 7th in Line to the Holy Throne of Jurai, and former Grand Admiral of the Jurai Royal Navy, attacked.

End Chapter 8.


	9. Chapter 9: A Perilous Struggle

Tenchi Universe: No Need for a Team-Up! 

Rowan Seven 

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except for the original ones. The characters you do recognize are copyrighted by their respective companies. I'm not making any money off this fanfic. ^ ^ indicates thoughts.  ~ ~ indicates telepathy.

Chapter 9:  A Perilous Struggle

In all of its history as a dominion of the Jurai Empire, Hitno-rai had never been invaded.

"Hi ho, hi ho!  Off to plunder we go!"

Hitno-rai was considered to be the safest and most secure planet in the entire empire, possibly in the entire universe.

"Look mom, pirates!"

"Don't pay them any attention, dear.  If we ignore them maybe they'll leave us alone."

"Not bloody likely, madame.  Now please hand over your jewelry."

Thanks to its reputation, Hitno-rai was, in addition to being the vacation spot of choice for most of the Jurai nobility, also home to many of Jurai's most valuable and precious treasures.  Museums were stocked with historical and ancient relics, banks contained vaults laden with riches, and mansions held famous family heirlooms.

"What beautiful paintings!  Being the art connoisseur that I am, I just have to add them to my collection!"

"What collection?  Until today the only things you collected were Orion wine bottles."

"Oh shaddup!  It's never too late to start a new hobby!"

"Say, don't those jewels look so lonely, being locked up and all?  I think I'll go and 'liberate' them."

"Hey guys!  Jiko and Takanisha are raiding the Manor of Family Jurai!  We're not going to let them have all the fun, are we?"

Of course, this reputation wasn't without merit.  In addition to the famous forceshield surrounding the planet, Hitno-rai boasted one of the largest and best-armed security forces in the universe.  

"12…13…14…that makes 15 officers I've knocked out!  How 'bout you?"

"17.  Tsunami, this is pathetic.  I've seen Stormtroopers with better aim than these folks."

"Yeah, well, you know what they say about letting your guard down.  Besides, if you worked here would you ever expect that pirates would pull off a successful raid?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not.  Regardless, I don't envy these people the reprisals they'll receive once the Jurai Holy Council hears about this."

As a matter of fact, not even the powerful and persistent press, with all of its vast resources and vaunted cleverness, had managed to sneak onto Hitno-rai.  The only television program that had permission to station people on the planet was Lifestyles of the Jurai Nobility, and that was only so that the Jurai aristocracy could show off to the universe how much better than everyone else they lived.

"And today on Lifestyles, we're touring the lavish and illustrious Manor of Family Kitona which is, rather surprisingly, being ransacked by pirates!  How exciting!  With us to supply commentary is Lord Kitona himself.  What do you have to say about today's current happenings?"

"Well Ami, I will admit that this is a rather…unconventional occurrence which I'll be sure to _thank_ our famed security forces for later.  As you can see-, Hey!  Put that down pirate scum!  That sword's been in my family for 12 generations!  Return that painting you dirty Oknarid!  Grr, don't think I can't see you trying to sneak away with that crystal sphere, you lowly cur! –these pirates are obviously well trained and know what they're doing.  I'd surmise that they belong to one of the major pirate guilds-, That plant your stealing isn't a Mitonius veraci you idiot!  It's a Mitonius gerdani which, without proper care that I doubt you can provide, will wilt in less than a week.  It's also quite poisonous.  Get your rare plant species right! –and probably one of the more esteemed ones to boot since they're not going around murdering people."

"Fascinating!  Hey, one of them is approaching us right now!  As a matter of fact-"

"Hi!  I'm Aoishi the Pirate, proud member of Lord Hiro J'ineran's pirate crew and card-carrying member of the Red Dragon Pirate Clan!  I would like to kindly insist that the two of you hand over any valuables you might be carrying as I'm a selfish and greedy person currently holding a rather sharp and nasty knife!"

"Wow.  How amazing!  I'm actually being mugged, here on Hitno-rai!  This is utterly astounding, viewers!  Words can barely describe what I'm feeling right now!"

"Note to self:  don't ever leave your tree sword at home again.  End note."

******

Hiro, speeding from place to place on top of a hover disk and grinning widely, was having a great time.  Orange cape fluttering in the wind behind him and green tree sword ignited, he easily dodged the lasers that were being shot at him and casually took out defenders and defenses with an ease that had earned him the title pirate prince.

"Oh, if Dad could see me now," Hiro chuckled to himself, imagining his father's reaction to the news of this raid as he deflected an energy beam with his sword.  Lord J'ineran would probably bang his head against a marble pillar for several minutes and then disown him, the accidental and bastard son, again for the seventh time.  His younger half-sister, though, would likely brag about having a brother that had made off with more riches than even those stolen during the legendary raid of X'initha to her schoolmates.

"Speaking of riches," Hiro muttered to himself, spying a heavily guarded mansion not too far away and changing his course, "I think I've found my next target.  Manor of Family whoever you are, here I come!"

******

"Alas, am I to forever be a prisoner of my own station?  Will I ever know true freedom and happiness, or will I spend the rest of my days a slave of this aristocratic echelon?" lamented Lucia L'unar, a beautiful young woman of average height and graceful build with long, silky blue hair down past her waist and emerald green eyes, currently clothed in an ornate red gown that complimented her exquisite frame.  Her mother was the sister of the late Emperor Azusa (murdered when Kagato assumed power), and as such she was third in line to throne, right after Princesses Aeka and Sasami.  To be blunt, it was a lonely, demanding existence that she wasn't very fond of.

"Tis the price of nobility, my dear," Lucia's assigned teacher, an ancient pedant named Gwyn, reminded her, not unsympathetically.  "For the ruling power to remain in the capable hands of the Masaki/Jurai House rather than a less…savory one, certain sacrifices must be made.  It may not be fair nor desirable, but it's necessary."

Lucia sighed.  "Is it, Gwyn?  This isolated existence I'm forced to live, not permitted to freely walk among the public and trapped behind closed doors, only allowed to go out to participate in a few upper-class galas and balls and even then forced to adhere to strict and rigid rules, is choking me, Lucia the individual, to death.  Is it wrong for me to want more out of life?  I wish someone would take me away from all this."

Hiro, with remarkable timing, flew through the window at that very moment.  Shards of glass cascading down around him, cape fluttering, and tree sword ignited, he gazed down at Lucia and Gwyn and began, "Greetings Jurai citizens.  I am Pirate Prince Hiro of the pirate ship Ruby and…"  

Kind brown eyes locked onto innocent green eyes.  Birds sang, cherry blossoms fell, somewhere an orchestra struck up a romantic tune, Cupid congratulated himself on a job well done, and Gwyn took out a bottle of wine and began drinking, knowing with an air of inevitably what was going to happen next.  It was love at first sight for Lucia and Hiro.

"…" Hiro breathed.

"…" Lucia replied.

"…and I'm here to appropriate your er valuables and um treasures," Hiro finally finished, albeit a tad nervously.  He gulped and began to look a tad disconcerted.   

Working at warp speed despite the sudden overwhelming attraction Lucia was feeling for Hiro, her mind analyzed this request and began churning out ideas on how to make it work to her advantage.  After a short moment, her mind supplied her with one.

"I'm afraid that I can't er let you do that," Lucia replied at last.  "The treasures contained within these walls are precious to my family and sacred to the Houses of Jurai and L'unar.  I beseech thee to take um me in their place.  Nobles may come and go, but these heirlooms must always remain in the family," Lucia finished, blushing nervously.

Hiro's mind was working at warp speed as well, trying to make some sense out of this situation.  Until now he'd never believed in love at first sight, but experience had just made a convert out of him.  

"Are you saying that you're offering yourself in place of your house's riches?" Hiro finally asked, a tad incredulously.  "Surely such a beautiful woman as yourself is worth more than that, and I ah don't even know your er name."

Lucia's blush deepened at Hiro's compliment.  "My name is Lucia L'unar, and as you well know in Jurai culture the House comes before the people.  I would be derelict in my responsibilities if I let you take my house's possessions.  For the sake of my family and honor, I urge you to accept my proposition."

Hiro grinned charmingly.  "Well, in that case Lucia, you've got yourself a deal.  Hop on board and I'll give my crew orders to leave this manor untouched.  I just hope you don't end up regretting this bargain."  He leaned down and offered Lucia his right hand.

"I don't think I will," Lucia replied, smiling back.  Taking one last look at the legacy she was abandoning, Lucia accepted Hiro's hand and jumped onto his hover disk, taking her first steps into a brave new world and of self-discovery.  Gazing into each other's eyes shyly and adoringly, together they flew out the window and into destiny.

"It was time for me to get a new job anyway," Gwyn remarked to himself after a long moment of silence spent staring at Lucia and Hiro's vanishing forms.  He turned around and began to walk out of the room.  "I believe the Galactic Science Academy has a few positions available, and it would be nice to be part of a union for a change.  Or maybe I could start another career.  I've always been interested in archaeology, after all.  Still, before I make any permanent decisions, I'll go on vacation.  Sunny beaches and cool ocean breezes here I come!  Hmm, for some strange reason I suddenly have an overpowering urge to say something profound.  I hope 'today is the first day of the rest of our lives' will suffice."  He closed the door behind him and left.

******

"Grrr.  Prepare to die!" Ryouga shouted in his typical fashion, swinging his glowing umbrella down in a hard arc capable of shattering stone.

"I have been for the past 500 years," Kenji retorted grimly, easily sidestepping Ryouga's powerful downward strike and casually deflecting Nagi's quick whip lash by creating a forceshield with his Jurai power.  Not wasting a moment, Ryouga converted his momentum into a forward lunge that, though Kenji brought his blade up in time to block it, still pushed him back a ways due to Ryouga's superhuman strength.  Meanwhile, Nagi continued to assault his protected backside from behind with her whip and sword blasts, forcing Kenji to divide his concentration and grit his teeth from the effort of keeping his forceshield up while dealing with Ryouga.

Kenji suddenly and disturbingly smiled sardonically.  "Only the good die young, though, and death apparently has no interest in seeing my suffering end," he spoke bitterly, parrying Ryouga's next strike and, with sudden speed, brought his right arm up in an uppercut which Ryouga barely managed to evade by falling back.  Taking advantage of this momentary let up, Kenji spun around, caught Nagi's whip with his sword, and, temporarily augmenting his strength with his Jurai power, pulled very hard.

Nagi was swept off her feet but, being the quick-witted fighter that she is, converted her unexpected forward leap into a solid kick.  Kenji, smiling in amusement, sidestepped this.  Nagi and Ryouga, however, having learned how to work together during their training sessions, countered with Ryouga catching Nagi's foot and swinging her around in a full circle with her sword outstretched.  Not having expected this level of coordination, Kenji didn't back up enough and Nagi's sword tip grazed his stomach, leaving a stretch of scorched skin.

Not giving Kenji a chance to recover, Ryouga tossed Nagi high up into the air and cupped his hands together in a familiar stance.  

"ShiShiHoukoudan!"

Kenji, focusing past his momentary pain, hastily erected a forceshield around him to deflect the acidic ball of greenish blue ki.  Speaking through grit teeth, he said, "Not bad.  But you'll have to do better than-"

"Bakusai Tenketsu!" Ryouga added, bringing his fist into contact with Kenji's forceshield and, to the latter's great shock, shattering it.  Not stopping there, Ryouga swung his umbrella, now deactivated so as not to cleave Kenji in two, at Kenji's right side with his other hand.  Spittle flew from the surprised Kenji's mouth and he let out a cry of pain as Ryouga's umbrella painfully connected.

The next sight to greet Kenji's eyes was that of Nagi descending upon him like a vengeful demon.  Boosted by the force of gravity, her boots made an unpleasant indentation on Kenji's head.  Kenji slumped to the floor and Nagi, with a leap and quick flick of her left wrist, wrapped her whip around his neck as she landed on the ground next to Ryouga.

"Eh, looks like our job is done," Ryouga said to Nagi, gazing down at the fallen prince of Jurai.

To disprove this statement, Kenji swung his left arm outwards towards Nagi and Ryouga, releasing a gray shockwave of Jurai power that pushed them back several yards, as he grabbed the whip with his now glowing right hand and tore it apart.  Eyes flashing, Kenji stood back up proudly and turned to face his adversaries.  "You're beginning to annoy me," he intoned dangerously.

Nagi snorted as she got back onto her feet.  "We'll have done a lot more than that by the time we're through with you, Prince Kenji," she replied confidently, smiling predatorily.

Ryouga, preferring not to let Kenji take the offensive, leapt to his feet and charged, reactivated umbrella held before him.  "Yeah, you're going to finally face justice for what you did on Arcadia!"

Kenji winced, as if the mere word "Arcadia" was a physical assault.  "Do you think I don't regret the consequences of my actions on that planet?" he asked Ryouga as their blades met.  "I hear the shouts and screams of my victims every night in my dreams.  I see their corpses whenever I close my eyes!  No one can punish me anymore than I've already punished myself!"

Picking up on the fact that Arcadia was obviously a sensitive topic for Kenji and hoping to make him act recklessly, Nagi added her own sword strikes to Ryouga's umbrella attacks and asked, "Then why did you do it?"

Kenji's eyes widened in anger as he parried two sets of attacks at once, his own sword leaving afterimages as a result.  "It was never my intention to kill them!  The virus was only supposed to weaken the Arcadians!"

Nagi smiled viciously as she increased the speed of her own assault.  "But you had to know that death was a possibility.  Viruses were and still are a rather unpredictable weapon."

Kenji unexpectedly took the offensive, moving with blinding speed and forcing both Nagi and Ryouga back.  "I did what I had to do!  No other option was available to me!  The Arcadians refused to yield or compromise, and the fate of the Jurai Empire was resting on my shoulders!  My duty to throne takes precedence over everything else, including my honor and conscience!  That is why I did what I did and refuse to allow myself to be tried by the GP!  I have my orders and I shall execute them!  Such is the will of Jurai!"  It was hard to tell who he was trying to justify his actions to:  Nagi and Ryouga or himself.

Regardless, Kenji overextended himself – a mistake that both Ryouga and Nagi capitalized on.  The latter pushed Kenji's sword down and away while Ryouga slammed his right fist into the aristocrat's face.  Neither one stopping there, Nagi twisted her sword so that it connected painfully with Kenji's left wrist, forcing him to drop his blade to avoid losing his hand, as Ryouga released a barrage of chaotic and unpredictable fierce punches.  Kenji never had a chance to raise another forcefield.

"Die!!!"  Then again, maybe he didn't need one.

Freeing himself from the current onslaught with yet another burst of speed, Kenji glared angrily at his would be captors from across a distance of several yards.  His Jurai aura once again took shape around him, but now it was reflecting Prince Kenji's anger, roiling, twisting, and contorting madly about him.  Blood was running down his face and dripping to the floor, but he seemed unaware of this, his ancient face now a rictus of pain and rage.

He soon regained a facsimile of calmness, though, and actually seemed to grin pleasantly.  "My compliments to the both of you.  I haven't had such a good…workout in decades.  But alas, like all good things, it must soon come to an end.  Tsunami will judge my soul when the time comes, but until that day I must follow the wishes and orders of my sovereign.  That doesn't bode well for the two of you, I'm afraid.  I pray that the next world is kinder to you than this one."

"Save your prayers, old man," Nagi retorted, holding her blade in a careful defensive position.  "I won't permit myself to die until I've brought in Ryoko, and this is neither that day nor time.  I'll beat you through sheer stubbornness if I have to.  Nagi the Bounty Hunter never fails to bring in her quarry, and I'm not about to start now."

Ryouga assumed his own defensive stance, cold determination present on his face.  "I'm not about to quit either.  I may not have much to live for right now, but I still don't plan on dying just yet.  This is my best and now perhaps only chance to achieve the one dream of mine that this cruel, cold universe hasn't ripped to shreds, and I will not lose it like I lost Akane.  You're going down, Prince Kenji."

Kenji at last wiped the blood off his chin.  "So you say, Hibiki Ryouga and Nagi, but I have my own duties and determination.  Your dreams, I'm sad to say, are about to become dust.  Now, at the risk of sounding terribly clichéd, feel the true power of Jurai!"

Not letting something as insignificant as missing his sword stop him, Kenji, gray aura still visible, resumed the battle with earnest.  Lunging at Ryouga, Kenji, moving faster than Ryouga had ever seen him, ducked beneath Ryouga's counter umbrella swing and landed a successful uppercut against the earthling's face that launched him off his feet.  Not stopping there and moving so fast his actions were a blur, Kenji raised his right hand before him, aimed his palm at Ryouga, and released an enormous blast of gray energy.  Colliding with the still in the air Ryouga, the energy blast sent him flying through the air and crashing into the bookshelves, the gray energy strangely not dissipating and continuing to crackle painfully around Ryouga's convulsing frame as if it were electrocuting him.

Without so much as pausing for a breath of air, Kenji immediately turned and attacked Nagi.  Being faster than Ryouga, Nagi was able to block Kenji's first strike with her sword.  Unexpectedly though, Kenji reached out and grabbed Nagi's charged sword with his bare hand and then headbutted her.  Wincing slightly from the pain, Nagi countered with a swift kick which Kenji blocked with his other hand before he struck back with a rapid spin kick that sent Nagi reeling.  Neither one having let go of the sword however, Nagi didn't go far and tapped a slightly depressed area of her hilt before letting go of it.

Kenji suddenly cried out in pain as Nagi's sword did its best impersonation of an electric chair.  Wisely letting go of the sword, Kenji didn't get a moment of respite as Nagi used his momentary distraction to kick him hard in the stomach.  However, Kenji once again fell back on his Jurai power and used it to stop in mid-air.  Immediately grabbing Nagi's legs, he slammed her viciously into the floor and then, picking her up again, threw her with all his might at the mirror which shattered upon Nagi's brutal collision with it.  Nagi, still managing to weakly glower at Kenji, slumped to the floor.

"Victory," the battered Kenji announced tiredly as his aura died down, "belongs to me."  He held out his left hand and his tree sword, picking itself off the floor and floating, returned to it.  He grinned once, victoriously, but his smile didn't reach his eyes.

******

"Victory…belongs to me."

^I've…failed again,^ Ryouga thought to himself, barely managed to form coherent thoughts in between the spasms of pain he was experiencing.  ^I…always fail, don't I?  Ranma beat me, Akane doesn't love me, and now I've lost my cure.  Damn it!  Why can't I ever do anything right?!!  I can't even blame this one on Ranma.  This is…my fault.  My…fault.  I've…failed…I'm a…failure…My fault…A…ka…ne…^

Ryouga's struggles ceased and he felt his despair, stronger than ever before, overtake him.  He laughed once, voice ridden with pain and full of a lifetime's bitterness.  ^Figures.  I guess I was…never meant for a happy…ending, was I?  Only heroes…live happily ever after…and I'm…no hero…just a second-class martial artist…who doesn't know…when to quit.^

With the despair, though, came power.  Ryouga's body began to glow a brilliant green as fractures appeared in the floor around him.  He chuckled weakly to himself as he woozily climbed to his feet, body still convulsing from Kenji's attack.  ^Only…one thing left…to do now…^

Kenji, hearing the sound of books hitting the floor, turned around and saw Ryouga standing, his own gray energy disappearing as Ryouga's green aura swelled and then contracted about him.

"Still standing?" Kenji asked, calm voice belying his surprise.  "Looks like I declared victory a tad prematurely."  Sensing Ryouga's rising energy levels and having no idea what they heralded, Kenji summoned his own power and began fashioning it into the strongest shield he was capable of creating.  Better safe than sorry, he reflected.

Ignoring Kenji and now enmeshed in a world of his own overwhelming despair and sadness, Ryouga clenched his fists and concentrated.  Hair and clothing blowing in an unseen and unfelt wind, Ryouga unleashed his most powerful attack.

"SHISHIHOUKOUDAN!!!" Ryouga shouted, voice almost drowned out by the deafening roar his ki made as it blasted through the ceiling and rose high into sky in the shape of a cylinder.  Sighing, Ryouga's head fell and his shoulders sagged in defeat, his posture now one of abject misery, as a new star took its place in the heavens.    

Kenji blinked, surprised and worried.  ^What was the point of that?^ he wondered.  He would soon find out.

The star began its downward plummet, succumbing to the irresistible force of gravity.  Not taking its banishment from the skies with grace, Ryouga's ki attack became a vengeful and destructive tempest, growing ever more powerful and larger as it fell.  The room was soon bathed in an oppressive green light and overcome with a dreadful howl as the green column drew nearer. This was the Perfect ShiShiHoukoudan, the physical manifestation of Ryouga's sorrow and his ultimate attack.

Kenji's eyes widened even further as it collided with him, grunting with effort to keep his forcefield up against the full weight of Ryouga's melancholic spirit.  The ground around him cracked and for a moment it looked like the entire floor might buckle, but Kenji, dredging up every last iota of power he possessed, reinforced his shield and miraculously held the Perfect ShiShiHoukoudan at bay.  Unnoticed, Nagi started crawling toward an unseen objective.

One man's unending despair met and battled another's unyielding determination.  Ryouga's tragedy personified warred with Kenji's manifested will.  The ground shook, dust and various other small objects were tossed about by the forces generated by this tremendous collision, energy crackled, and Ryouga and Kenji relentlessly continued their titanic struggle.  

^Akane!^ 

Despair can destroy a man.

^Brother!^ 

Determination can keep a man going.

^My turn!^ Nagi thought, grabbing her now de-electrified sword and firing an energy blast at Kenji.

Teamwork, though, can make the impossible possible.

The energy blast struck Kenji's shield which automatically redirected energy to the segment under attack, weakening Kenji's defense against Ryouga's Perfect ShiShiHoukoudan.  Kenji's shield crumpled a microsecond later, there was a flash of light, a loud and haunting shout of denial, and then the prince fallen from grace fell once more under Ryouga's endless sorrow.

Supporting herself with her sword, Nagi carefully walked toward Kenji's prone and unconscious form and lightly prodded it with her foot.  No reaction.  Just to be on the safe side though, she set her sword to heavy stun and shot him again.  After that, she smiled, pleased by this victory.

THUMP.

Her smile turning into a frown, she focused her gaze on the unconscious form of her partner and sighed.  "He's really got to learn how to stop doing that," she muttered to herself, walking over to him to make sure that exhaustion was the most of his worries.

CLICK.

Nagi turned, wincing as her injuries made themselves known, at the sound of automatic laser pistols being aimed at her and saw an entire squad of Jurai security officers.  Her frown know a genuine scowl, she tightened her grip on her sword and prepared for the worst.

"Bounty Hunter Nagi, you're under arrest for assault on a prince of Jurai and abetting-"

"CHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW!!!" What was left of the ceiling was vaporized by Ken-ohki as the cabbit ship came flying down to rescue his mistress.  Not giving the Jurai soldiers below a chance to react, Ken-ohki immediately emitted a high-intensity stun beam, knocking them out.

"Took you long enough," Nagi grunted as Ken-ohki opened his airlock and released a tractor beam to bring her, Kenji, and Ryouga onboard.

"Chow?"

"Yes, Ryouga's unconscious again."

"Chow?"

"Yes, that was what that green beam of light was."

"Chow?"

"Yes, do prep the medical facilities."

"Chow?"

"Yes, this feels familiar to me too.  Heh, I guess we've come full circle," Nagi suggested, chuckling once in sardonic amusement as she and company entered Ken-ohki's interior and the airlock irised closed.

"Chow!" With that said, Ken-ohki flew up and away.

End Chapter 9.


	10. Chapter 10: A New Beginning

Tenchi Universe: No Need for a Team-Up! 

Rowan Seven 

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except for the original ones. The characters you do recognize are copyrighted by their respective companies. I'm not making any money off this fanfic. ^ ^ indicates thoughts.  ~ ~ indicates telepathy.

Chapter 10:  A New Beginning

Ryoko the Space Pirate, Princesses Aeka and Sasami, the greatest scientific genius in the universe Washu, and Galaxy Police Detectives Kiyone and Mihoshi were reclining on or around the Masaki household's couch in front of the television while Tenchi was in the Shinto shrine thanking the gods for the invention of soap operas.  Katsuhito was visiting an old friend, and Noboyuki was at work.  The main female cast of Tenchi Universe quietly and peacefully devoted their full attention to the fictional happenings of the episodic television series, this calm interlude probably the reason behind Tenchi's gratitude.  

"Miya!"

Oh, and Ryo-ohki was in the carrot patch.   

"I'm sorry Jinial, but I…must leave you."

"No!  Please Nidij, don't go!  The hive mother needs you!  I…need you."

"Look Jinial, I'm doing this for you just as much as me.  We come from two different worlds.  I'm an arachnid, and you're an ant.  It would never work out between us.  What kind of life would our hundreds of offspring lead if we ever laid eggs?"

"I don't care what difficulties the future and future generations may have, just so long as I'm with you!  Don't you get it Nidij?  I…love you."

"Jinial…I…-"

"We interrupt the current program to give you this latest news bulletin," a cheerful female voice belonging to the attractive android anchorwoman MITU spoke from behind a brown desk with a picture of the galaxy in the background.  On her left side was the lupine co-anchorman Giton Claw.

"WHAT?!!" screeched 5 outraged female voices while Sasami covered her ears and was silently thankful for the interruption.  At her age soap operas didn't hold much interest.

"What could be so important to warrant interrupting this moment?!" demanded Aeka, standing upright.

"Well, let's see," Mihoshi said, counting events off her fingers, "The secession of the Twiliz Republic from the Galaxy Union, the destruction of Galaxy Police Headquarters- wait, that's already happened, star A821 unexpectedly going supernova, a pirate raid against Hitno-rai, the advent of an enormous cosmic entity that devours planets, Unicron's rebirth, the-"

Kiyone sighed and rolled her eyes while Ryoko glared maliciously at the television set, briefly considering using it to vent her anger.  "Mihoshi, you know that the odds of any of those things happening are-" the teal-haired detective began before being interrupted by the news bulletin.

"Approximately 7 hours ago, the pirate Hiro and the crew of his pirate ship Ruby successfully plundered the planet Hitno-rai, apparently with help from the bounty hunter Nagi and her new, mysterious partner Hibiki Ryouga," Giton said solemnly, pausing to give all of the viewers a chance to absorb this new knowledge. 

"Hitno-rai's been plundered?!" Aeka stammered out incredulously.

"Nagi has a partner?!" Ryoko spluttered, even more incredulously.

"Fascinating.  Knocking out those shields would require a weapon of enormous power that-" Washu hypothesized, finishing her thoughts in her head.

"Er, Kiyone, what's so important about Hitno-rai?" Mihoshi asked a tad hesitantly.

Kiyone almost growled in frustration.  "Hitno-rai is only supposed to be the most secure planet in the entire galaxy Mihoshi!  We covered it back in the academy, remember?"

"Nope!" Mihoshi answered simply and honestly.  

Kiyone facefaulted before collecting herself.  "Why me?" she muttered quietly.

"I hope great-granduncle Kenji's alright," Sasami said worriedly.

"I'm sure he's fine," Aeka told Sasami comfortingly, sitting down on the floor so as to be at her level.  "He's survived for so long that-"

"In addition, Nagi and Ryouga have captured the infamous Prince Kenji of Jurai, wanted by the GP for war crimes, and mere moments ago turned him in to the Galaxy Police.  The Grand Marshall of the GP is expected to issue a statement about these recent happenings tomorrow at noon which our station will be broadcasting live."

"We will know switch over to our correspondent Kilala onboard the space command center of Hitno-rai," MITU spoke, smile still plastered on her face.  "Kilala, what's the situation like over there?"

The screen split in half, and now on the right screen was an officious looking male adult with pointed ears, short silver hair, and blue eyes wearing formal wear.  Behind him was the brown, green, and gray interior of a Jurai space station that looked like it had seen better days with crew members rushing about to fix things and get to their assigned stations.

"Well, MITU, as you can obviously see, this whole system is in a state of disbelief and disarray," Kilala reported, frowning.  "The attack took everybody by surprise, and the results were devastating.  About three-fourths of the fleet is out of commission and in serious need of repairs, this command center is only functioning at about 73% of its power, and the Jurai government is still tallying the monetary losses incurred below.  This hasn't been confirmed yet, but just about everybody expects that when those results come in they'll show that this was one of if not _the_ most profitable pirate raid in galactic history."

"I see.  Tell us, Kilala, just what happened there?" MITU asked.

Kilala's frown deepened.  "Well MITU, it started off as an ordinary day here, but that changed when Ken-ohki drifted into the system.  Lord Yamada, the person in charge here, hailed the cabbit ship and received a reply from Nagi.  The exact details of the conversation haven't been released to the public yet, but I've heard she claimed that Ryoko with the help of an alien capable of disrupting forcefields was on her way here to raid the planet."

"Grrrr, why that-" Ryoko growled but was hushed by everyone else.

"In retrospect, it's obvious she was lying," Kilala bluntly stated.  "Nagi was the one who had the help of an alien capable of forcefield disruption, and when Lord Yamada refused to let Ken-ohki get any closer the cabbit sprang back to life and the alien, whom we're assuming is Hibiki Ryouga – more on that later –, fired a weak energy beam that blew up Hitno-rai's shield, damaging the fleet in the process and throwing everyone into a state of confusion."

"This disorientation was only exacerbated by the presence of the pirate treeship Ruby which apparently had been lying in wait, cloaked, for Nagi's arrival," Kilala continued, saying everything in a crisp, level voice, "Together, Ken-ohki and Ruby cleared a path through Hitno-rai's defenses and, once above the planet's surface, temporarily split up.  Ruby released raiding parties before returning to space and keeping the Jurai fleet busy.  Ken-ohki crashed into Prince Kenji's palace, let Nagi and Ryouga out, and then rejoined Ruby."

"The ground defenses, caught completely off-guard, were ineffective against Hiro's crew.  Needless to say, this won't go down in history as one of Jurai's finer moments."  Kilala's mouth curved upwards in the ghost of a smile before he resumed his report.  "Practically every family manor on Hitno-rai was plundered, with one notable exception.  The House of L'unar remained untouched by the pirate raid, and if my sources are correct this is because Lucia L'unar, third in line to the Jurai throne, convinced Hiro to take her in place of her family's treasures.  The ramifications of this action are expected to-"

"What?!!  Ryoko, I demand that you take me to Hiro at once so that we can rescue my cousin!" Aeka ordered, voice laden with concern for her relative.

Ryoko laughed softly.  "Don't worry so much princess.  It will only give you more wrinkles."

"Why you-" Aeka began but Ryoko cut her off by placing a finger on her mouth.

"Like I said, don't worry about.  Hiro is one of the most honorable people I know, and he'd only kidnap someone if they wanted to be kidnapped," Ryoko reassured her.

"But why would Lucia want to be kidnapped?  She's third in line to the throne and heir to one of the richest and most influential families in the empire!" Aeka questioned.

"Just like you're first in line to the throne and heir to the Jurai family.  Yet you choose to live here, on Earth," Sasami piped up.

"Aw, what a precocious child you are!" Mihoshi commented.

Washu chuckled.  "But what about me, Washu, the greatest scientific genius in the universe!  Aren't I a precocious kid as well?"

"Will all of you quiet down?  I'm trying to listen to the news here!" Kiyone spoke up.

"-dismissed Ishitaka and decided to face Nagi and Ryouga himself.  The details of the fight aren't known, but a giant green energy beam was launched into the atmosphere before falling back down and, presumably, ending the battle.  Ken-ohki then crashed back into Kenji's Palace, took out the guards that had assembled, collected Nagi, Ryouga, and Kenji, and then left the system.  30 minutes later, after Ruby had collected her own crew and just as major reinforcements were arriving, she followed.  Ruby and Hiro's current location is unknown, and as already reported Nagi turned Prince Kenji in to the GP mere minutes ago and collected the reward money," Kilala finished.

Giton creased his forehead as if he were in deep thought.  "Kilala, do you have any idea why Nagi went to such lengths to capture Prince Kenji when his bounty was so low?"

Kilala shrugged.  "Unknown, Giton.  However, some people are speculating that Nagi and the pirates are going to share the treasure and that apprehending Prince Kenji is merely a cover for her."

"Disquieting.  Anyway, that's the report from our correspondent Kilala."  Kilala's screen disappeared.  "MITU, how are people reacting to this crisis?" Giton inquired, swiveling his chair to face her.

"Reactions are very mixed right now, Giton," MITU answered.  "The Jurai Government is furious and already vowing action against both Ruby _and_ Ken-ohki.  Word has it that they're planning on dispatching Lord Leo and his treeship Destiny to pursue and capture them in addition to placing a bounty on the heads of Nagi, Ryouga, and Hiro.  Lord J'ineran, father of the pirate Hiro, is currently refraining from making any comments but looks none to pleased with his son's actions.  The GP hasn't decided on a position to take yet, but they do appear to be happy to finally have the opportunity to try Prince Kenji.  The criminal element and those with a grudge against Jurai all seem to be delighted about these recent happenings, and several organizations are already beginning to question Jurai's credibility.  Regardless, it seems unlikely that Hitno-rai will ever regain its title as 'most secure planet in the galaxy.'"

"Indeed.  Wait a minute.  It appears that Lord Yamada is about to make a public statement.  We're going to switch back over to our cameras at the Hitno-rai command center so if you'll just hold on a moment…" Giton explained.

"This is terrible!" Aeka exclaimed.  "Hitno-rai…plundered, its famous reputation lost, other governments questioning Jurai's abilities.  It's-"

"Lighten up, Aeka.  In my opinion, Jurai deserves to be taken down a peg or two," Ryoko interrupted.  "A little humbleness would actually do your empire some good."

"Why I oughtta-" Aeka began.

"Are you certain Lucia's safe, Ryoko?" Sasami asked worriedly.

Ryoko smiled down at the little princess.  "100% Sasami.  Trust me, Hiro won't do her any harm."

"That's good, but what about Kenji?  I'm worried about him," Sasami added.

Kiyone and Mihoshi exchanged a look, or rather they would've if Mihoshi hadn't been intently watching the swirling colors on the television screen as the signal switched over.  Kiyone sighed and turned to face Sasami.  "He'll be fine.  The GP did away with the death penalty long ago so at worst your great-granduncle will only be incarcerated for a long time."

"That's not what I'm wondering about!" Washu announced.  "What I want to know is how that insignificant energy beam could bring down such an elaborate and powerful forcefield.  I, Washu, the greatest scientific genius in the universe, shall solve this mystery!  Mwhahaha!"

"You're the greatest, Washu!" Washu puppet A declared as it appeared on her right shoulder.

"The greatest in the whole universe!" Washu puppet B seconded as it appeared on Washu's left shoulder.

"Enough.  Lord Yamada's about to speak!" Kiyone informed everyone.  The room quieted down.

On the screen was a podium which Lord Yamada slowly stepped up behind.  He looked weary with lines on his forehead but there was a silent and subtle strength in his posture.  "Citizens of Jurai, members of the Galaxy Union, and everyone else who's watching this broadcast, I wish to make a report.  Approximately 7 hours ago-"

******

"-none of us expected this would ever happen, but that is no excuse.  I accept full responsibility for the mistakes made by my security forces.  If someone is to be punished for the actions that transpired below on Hitno-rai it should be me as the superior officer.  To all those who've been hurt by these recent events I offer my apologies and condolences.  Thus ends my report."  Lord Yamada's image winked out to be almost instantaneously replaced by MITU.

"Brave words from Lord Yamada.  One can only wonder what will happen to him next," the android spoke after a solemn moment of silence.  "We will know switch over to Tichus Malonchi, our usual anchorman currently and conveniently on assignment at the new GP Headquarters."

The screen once again split in half; this time a Seniwan male with long, curly blond hair and wearing glasses appeared on the right screen with the large, occupied, and active GP plaza in the background.  He smiled pleasantly.  "This is Tichus Malonchi live at GP Headquarters.  As you already know, MITU, the raid upon Hitno-rai has shocked the galaxy and is already stirring up quite a controversy and confusion.  The GP is under heavy pressure from the Jurai Government to place Hiro on the Top Ten Most Wanted List and to release warrants for the arrest of Nagi and Ryouga, but doing so will make them look like they're bowing down to Jurai and further strengthen the idea that they're merely a tool of the Empire.  The Grand Marshall is in an unenviable position right now and how he reacts could have serious repercussions for this organization as a whole."

"Fascinating.  Tichus, on the subject of Nagi and Ryouga, what is known about the latter?  Until today I'd never heard of him, and I'm sure our audience is curious about Nagi's new partner as well.  Does the GP have any information at all on him?" MITU asked.

Tichus frowned.  "The GP is still investigating this Hibiki Ryouga – if that's even his real name – character, but so far they've come up with nothing.  There's no trace of him in any of their databanks, no criminal or civilian records, not even a picture id.  There's a rumor going around that he blew up a bar on the planet Nieurt, but that's unconfirmed and the details are rather…sketchy.  As of this moment, there is no definite information on Ryouga other than his physical appearance and the fact that he is an energy manipulator, possibly a generator as well.  However, since he has teamed up with Nagi and provided the means by which the Red Dragon pirates were able raid Hitno-rai it would seem a foregone conclusion that he's not the most law-abiding individual."

"Looks like I've given you a bad reputation," Nagi spoke, amused, as she stepped onto the bridge.

Ryouga turned around from the holo-screen he was viewing, courtesy of Ken-ohki.  "I don't mind," he replied with a noncommittal shrug as Ken-ohki lowered the newscast's volume.

"You should," Nagi informed him.  "If Jurai does put a bounty on our heads then they'll be legions of people willing to collect.  I might even be tempted to turn you in myself for the challenge."  

Ryouga blinked, confused.  "Why Nagi, I don't know whether I should take that as a threat or a compliment."

Nagi smiled haughtily.  "I'd take it as the latter.  I don't give praise to many people, but after Hitno-rai you deserve it.  Now, if you ever tell anyone my next words I'll deny saying them, hunt you across the cosmos, beat you into a bloody pulp, tie you up, and hand you over to Jurai myself, but I…couldn't have done this mission without you.  Good job."  She extended her hand a bit uncertainly.  

Ryouga, despite wondering where Nagi had learned a gaijin custom, took Nagi's hand with his own and shook it.  "I couldn't have done it without you either," he told her.

"You're absolutely right you couldn't have," Nagi reaffirmed, steadily gazing into Ryouga's eyes to make sure he got the point.  He did, and the handshake ended.

There was a moment of silence as both parties considered what to say next.  Finally, after some internal struggle and fretting, Ryouga spoke up.  "About those dreams," he began tremulously, noticing Nagi tensing up, "I'm sorry.  I never meant to invade your privacy, and I promise on my honor never to tell another soul what I saw."

Nagi remained silent for one long, disquieting moment.  "Good enough," she finally said, relaxing, "and I promise not to inquire what the h*ll your bizarre dreams meant."

Ryouga winced but soon broke into a small smile, glad to have that issue resolved between them.  He was about to say something else when-

Clap.  Clap.  Clap.

Nagi and Ryouga turned to face the source of the clapping and saw the robed Arcadian casually leaning against Ken-ohki's curved wall and radiating immense pleasure and satisfaction.  One got the impression that it was smiling.

"My highest and most sincere compliments," it spoke enthusiastically.  "The two of you have done an admirable job accomplishing the task I presented you with, and you have the thanks of both myself and my race…at least what remains of it," it spoke, a hint of sadness creeping into its voice near the end.

"I could care less about your gratitude," Nagi said coldly, advancing on the telepath.  "I'm only interested in one thing.  Now, where's Ryoko?"

"Don't forget about my cure either," Ryouga piped up, not about to let this opportunity pass him by.

The telepath laughed good-naturedly.  "Don't sound so worried.  I'm an honorable astral entity and will grant the boons I promised.  First, the cure."  It snapped its fingers.  "Done."

Ryouga blinked and looked himself over.  That had seemed almost too easy and quick, and he certainly didn't feel any different…

~Ken-ohki, could you drop some cold water on me?~ Ryouga requested anxiously.  If that alien was lying to him then, telepathic powers or not, it would soon be in for a world of hurt.

~Sure thing,~ Ken-ohki complied, a tad confusedly, and turned on a sprinkler above Ryouga.  

It was with wide and hopeful eyes that Ryouga watched the incoming rain draw closer.  This would be the ultimate test and prove whether the deal he'd struck had been worth it.  The first droplet landed.  No change.  Many others soon followed it, and Ryouga quickly became drenched.  Still no change.  

Ryouga held up his still miraculously human arm in front of his face and watched it with disbelieving eyes, as if expecting it to transform and dash his hopes again.  It remained human.  Ryouga's eyes quickly darted up and down the rest of his human and now thoroughly wet body.  

"I'm…cured," he spoke breathlessly.  A genuinely joyful smile graced his features.  "I'm cured!"  He began laughing uncontrollably as tears of happiness ran down his face.  "I'M CURED!!!"

Seeing Ryouga's ecstatic state and feeling his glee through their link, Nagi couldn't help smiling herself.  A moment later, though, she reset her facial expression into its usual cold and haughty smirk and turned to face the Arcadian once again.  "And Ryoko?" she inquired, hand delicately stroking the hilt of her blade to add emphasis to her words.

For the first time since she'd encountered him, the Arcadian actually looked a bit nervous.  "Yes, well, about that…Ryoko's on Earth," it admitted hesitantly, looking like it would rather be somewhere else at the moment.

The rage that suddenly coursed through their link cut Ryouga's celebratory mood short.  "You mean to tell me," Nagi intoned dangerously, "that had I brought Ryouga back to Earth and visited Tenchi like I'd originally planned on doing, I would've located Ryoko _without_ having to break into Hitno-rai and angering one of the strongest empires in galactic history!"

"Yep, that sounds about right," the Arcadian admitted, "but the Masaki household might've gotten clever and attempted to hide Ryoko from you, making you think that she was still missing.  This way, you know for certain that she's still alive and on Earth _and_ this whole experience has done wonders for your reputation, let me add-"

"Shut up," Nagi ordered.  The telepathic alien, having survived as long as it had, knew better than to argue and promptly fell silent.

"I only have one more question, and after you answer it you'd better leave," Nagi informed it.  "Just how do we remove this telepathic link you've bestowed us with?"

The telepath's eyes widened in understanding.  "Oh, that's relatively easy.  Just don't communicate through it for a month and it will disappear automatically, taking Ryouga's tattoos with it."  Knowing when the going was good, the Arcadian phased out.

Nagi took one deep breath, releasing her anger, and then turned to face the bridge's viewscreen.  "Ken-ohki, plot a course to Earth," she ordered.  She sat down in her command chair and swiveled her head so that she was looking at Ryouga.  "At our present speed," she told him matter-of-factly, "it will take us approximately 18 days to reach Earth.  I would…enjoy having another practice session with you before that time is reached."

"I would as well," Ryouga replied, still smiling widely.  "Should I get the training room set up?"

"Yes," Nagi answered quickly.  "I'll meet you down there."  Ryouga, with the aid of one of Ken-ohki's floating crystals, exited the room.  Nagi returned to staring at the viewscreen, a thoughtful look on her face.  "Ryoko," she whispered quietly, an expectant grin forming, "I'll see you soon."

******

"So, this is how it ends," Kenji spoke aloud, surveying his cell.  As prisons went, it was definitely 1st class and contained many plush comforts, but it was still a cell.  Kenji found that he didn't like it much but, he reflected philosophically, his home on Hitno-rai had been as much a cell in its own right.

He sighed and sat down on a cushioned seat, alone with his thoughts.  He was, he decided after a moment, tired.  This wasn't a tiredness that faded with sleep though.  It was a bone-aching weariness that only the very old experience, and Kenji was extremely old.  He had outlived his brother and his nephew, survived Kagato's executions, and now lived in the time of the resurrected guardians.  To his knowledge, only Yosho surpassed him in years now, and that wasn't a comforting thought.

"Oh brother, where art thou?" he whispered forlornly, acknowledging to himself that he had failed in carrying out his orders.  His brother had commanded him not to permit himself to be tried by the GP, and now his first hearing was scheduled for next week.  Even honorable suicide was out of the question now since he wouldn't have 15 seconds before the GP medical ward burst in to resuscitate him.  

Kenji sighed and contemplated cursing Ryouga and Nagi, but he couldn't begrudge them their victory.  They had fought hard and well, and they wouldn't have even been after him had he not committed the atrocious crime that still haunted his dreams.  Forget rationalizations and justifications.  The time for them would come soon enough when he was in court.  Now there was only him and his guilt.

"I'm sorry," he whispered once, the words so soft and delicate that it seemed as if a light breeze could wipe them out.  Kenji knew, though, that it was far too late for an apology and all that remained was to face the music.  His fate was now in Tsunami's hands.  He would have to accept whatever future she laid out for him.

Sighing once more, Prince Kenji did his best to accept his fate and walked over to his bed and lay down to get some rest.  He had the rest of his life to dwell on such thoughts, his nightmares to plague him till the end of his days, and bloody hands that would never come clean.  ^I should write a book,^ he weakly joked to himself, only the telltale traces of a smile appearing as he closed his eyes and drifted off to an unmerciful sleep.

******

Lord Yamada, a restrained gait to his step, entered the Hitno-rai command center for what would probably be the last time.  Waiting nervously at their stations were Kiyo, Jabonian, Minoas, Alti, and Ban.  When their commander appeared they all stood up and saluted, fearing the worst for him since their imaginations had had plenty of time over the past couple days to conjure up all sorts of reprimands that the Holy Council of Jurai might employ.

"At ease," Yamada ordered, walking over to his chair and sitting down.  Its hard metallic surface was definitely something he wasn't going to miss.

"Sir," Kiyo asked, an uncertain and fearful tremor to her voice, "what was the decision of the council?"

Yamada closed his eyes and let his head fall back in rest.  "They have decided," he said, opening his eyes and bringing his head forward again, "that based on the current evidence my actions and orders were sound.  However," he added, cutting any festivity short, "that does not excuse the fact that Hitno-rai was raided during my watch.  As punishment, I am to be reassigned to frontier patrol as the commander of a 3rd generation treeship, effective immediately.  I leave tonight."

There was a moment of stunned silence as his command crew absorbed this news.  Yamada, despite a strict beginning month, had been, in their minds, an able and understanding commander meaning that he'd let the lack of protocol slide and had overlooked their attempts to stir up some excitement.  He'd even, to the surprise of all, won the last practical joke war.  With him being reassigned and their situation being what it was, his replacement would probably be some stuffy by-the-book noble who wouldn't know a prank if it marched up in front of him holding a sign with bright neon letters announcing what it was.  

"We'll…miss you, sir," Minoas said, summing up all their feelings.  "And for what it matters, I personally think you did a splendid job running this operation."

Yamada unexpectedly smirked.  "That's very nice of you, Minoas, but I'm afraid that I can't say I'll miss you too."

"Sir?" Minoas asked, confused.  The others shared his state of mind.

"You see," Yamada explained, grinning, "I wasn't the only one the council reassigned.  My new 3rd generation treeship needs a command crew, and guess whose names came up."

"You mean-" Alti began hopefully.

Yamada nodded his head.  "Yes, as of tonight all of us are officially relieved of duties here and shall be transported to our new ship.  From there we are to proceed to a currently undisclosed region of the frontier where we'll assume patrol duties.  You're still stuck with me, I'm afraid," he finished cheerfully.

Kiyo, Jabonian, Alti, Minoas, and Ban felt a surge of happiness that immediately came crashing down when they realized that, though they weren't about to be separated from their commander, their situation still hadn't improved much.  Frontier patrol duty was considered to be one of the most boring and undesirable assignments in the entire military and, unless one was in good standing with the Jurai government which they definitely weren't right now, could last for a maddening long time.

"Out of the frying pan and into the fire," Ban commented morosely as he wearily sat down on the cold metallic floor.

"More like out of the icetray and into the freezer," Alti corrected, laying a commiserating hand on Ban's right shoulder. 

"Oh, cheer up you two.  Maybe we'll find the Galactic Leyline or something," Jabonian suggested, hoping to provoke a smile.

"Or prevent sinister and intelligent alien bugs from invading this sector!" Minoas added, joining in.

"Or maybe we'll be transported by a tetrion wave into another quadrant 70,000 light years from here where we'll encounter a belligerent alien species every other week, boggle at time-travel paradoxes and twists, pick up a few amusing and attractive alien crewmembers, and face imminent destruction which we barely escape from on a regular basis as we search for wormholes and other ways to get home," Kiyo spoke enthusiastically.

Ban sighed and looked up at his friends.  "Thanks for the effort, mates, but I think we're just going to have to accept ennui as our lot in life.  There are worse things, I suppose, though what they could possibly be escapes me right now."  He returned to his sulking.

There was silence for a moment as they all mulled over what appeared to be their exceedingly dull futures, broken when Alti glanced up, suddenly remembering something.  "Sir," she asked, "what's the name of our ship?"

Yamada looked her way and simply answered, "Voyager."

******

Elsewhere, on the third planet of the Sol system, two limping, bruised, and beaten figures approached each other in an open field of green on the island chain known as Japan.

"Nagi, what the heck happened to you?" Ryouga asked, surprised, when he got a good look at Nagi's injured body.

"I should be asking you the same question," Nagi replied, eyeing Ryouga's battered and hobbling form.  "You look worse than you did after Hitno-rai.  What happened?"

"I asked you first," Ryouga reminded her, using his umbrella to support himself.

"So?" Nagi spoke, obviously not caring who asked whom first.  She winced as an injury to her shoulder made itself known again.

Ryouga stared at her, debating whether he should press the issue or not, and decided against it.  He chuckled bitterly.  "Let's just say," he began after a long moment, "that the truth hurts…especially the one who's telling it."  

Nagi picked up on Ryouga's mournful and gloomy tone and didn't probe further.  Instead, she answered his question.  "Ryoko, despite being near death when I last saw her, is now very much alive and seemingly stronger than ever.  I'll have to be better prepared next time."  Despite her angry frown, there was a hint of relish and anticipation in her voice.  

Ryouga nodded in understanding.  He had firsthand, oftentimes painful, knowledge of how it felt to be beaten by one's rival.  A thought popped into his head.  "Say, where's Ken-ohki?" he asked.

Nagi's frown deepened.  "Ken-ohki is currently enjoying Ryo-ohki's company, much to my chagrin.  If he gets her pregnant there's going to be hell to pay since I have no desire to stay on this humdrum and primitive planet for two whole months."

Now it was Ryouga's turn to frown.  "Hey, Earth isn't all that bad," he protested, defending his homeworld though he did admit to himself that his life on Earth had certainly been nothing to brag about.

Nagi snorted but didn't press the issue.  "So what are you going to do now?" she asked, tone neutral.  

Ryouga sighed and looked at the sky, shrugging.  "I have absolutely no idea," he answered a tad sadly.  "I've just closed a chapter of my life and cut all the strings holding me to my past.  I have no enemy to defeat, no goal to accomplish, and no place to go.  With my wanderings now open to the universe, I think I'll be lost for a very, very long time."  He lowered his head, feeling his despair rise again.

A conflicted look crossed Nagi's face as she considered a thought that had just made itself known.  It definitely wasn't a welcome notion, but it did have merit and made sense, much to her dismay.  Besides, she reasoned in an attempt to convince herself, the outcome might actually be pleasant, and there was always the possibility that the overture might be declined.

"My next target is Rune Vega, a notorious criminal and mob boss," Nagi spoke calmly but also a bit reluctantly as Ryouga raised his head to look at her.  "He is currently hiding himself in a secret base in the Bat-ahath system, a base whose coordinates I know.  However, it has a complex forcefield defensive system installed which could make things slightly more…difficult for me.  Your help, though unnecessary, would make things easier.  In return, I'll give you 30% of the bounty once he's turned in to the proper authorities."

Ryouga's eyes widened at this unexpected offer as his mind argued what to do.  He could refuse in which case he'd probably end up traveling the universe alone, or he could accept and continue working with Nagi and Ken-ohki, the former, while not the most congenial person he knew, was at least someone he could talk to and get along with.  He was, he decided after a moment, tired of being alone.

"Deal," Ryouga answered, a small smile gracing his features.

"We'll leave as soon as Ken-ohki returns," Nagi informed him, sounding indifferent but inwardly pleased despite herself.

"Chow!"  As if on cue, Ken-ohki chose that exact moment to enter the scene wearing a very smug expression on his white face.

"Do I even want to know what you've been up to?" Nagi asked her mode of transportation archly.

"Chow!" 

"Gah!  Please, don't elaborate," Ryouga pleaded, holding his nose with his free hand in the hope of preventing a nosebleed.

"Chow?" Ken-ohki asked as he came to a stop in front of Nagi and Ryouga.

"Yes, Ryouga will be coming with us for another mission," Nagi informed him, looking down at his four-legged form.  "And prep the medical facilities again."

"Chow," Ken-ohki agreed, leaping into the air and transforming into his crystalline spaceship form.

The two new partners glanced up at the giant, white cabbit ship floating above them.  Ryouga turned around to take one last, ambiguous look at Earth and what he was leaving behind.  He then faced Nagi, smiling slightly.  "You know, this could be the start of a beautiful friendship."

A guy wearing a formal gray suit walked up to them.  "I'm a lawyer with Warner Bros. pictures and-"

"ShiShiHoukoudan!"

"Caaaaaase dismiiiiiiiiiiiiiised!!!!!" the lawyer shouted as he flew off into the sunset.

Nagi rolled her eyes.  "You'd think they'd have learned better by now."  She sighed.  "Let's get going.  Ken-ohki, bring us aboard."

"Chow!"  With that said, the powerful cabbit beamed them aboard and left the planet for the depths of space.  The duo was now a trio:  Nagi the Bounty Hunter, Ken-ohki the Cabbit, and Ryouga the Eternally Lost Boy.  A team-up that had originated out of mutual self-interest had now become a partnership and maybe, just maybe, a friendship, and for three souls the universe had become a little less dark and lonely.

The end.


	11. OMAKE: No Need for Romance!

Tenchi Universe:  No Need for a Team-Up!

Rowan Seven

Disclaimer:  I don't own any of these characters except for the original ones.  The characters you do recognize are copyrights of their respective companies.  I'm not making any money off this fanfic.

Author's Note:  This brief skit arose when a friend commended me for keeping this a friendship fic rather than making it into a romantic one.  This caused me to remember why I'd chosen the friendship theme in the first place and inspired me to write this parody of my own story to defend my choice of friendship.  I hope you enjoy this little bit of silliness.

Additional Author's Note:  I would like to thank Ashes, Orleans, the Ryouga Mailing List, my English teacher, and Lady Solarys for the criticisms and help they gave me on this story.  Without them, this story would be quite different.

Omake - No Need for Romance!

Ryouga:  Alas, Akane married Ranma.  I'm still cursed to turn into a black piglet.  I'm also completely lost.  How depressing.  (Fires a ShiShiHoukoudan.)  I think I'll enter that mysterious bar up ahead and ask for directions.  (Enters bar.) 

Ryouga:  Where in the world am I-...(Notices that Nagi is surrounded by criminals.)  Er, what's going on here and why do you have that attractive woman surrounded?  (Lightbulb goes off.)  Aha!  You must be planning to commit some dasturdly deed against her!  Well, I, Hibiki Ryouga, wandering martial artist at large, will not allow you to hurt her!  Hiya!  (Attacks.)

Criminal 1:  Actually we were going to give her a surprise birthday party but-Argh...(Gets punched out.)

The entire place erupts in violence with Ryouga launching into wickedly cool and impressive martial arts moves.  

Very Big and Powerful Ship:  (Fires laser at roof.)  BOOM!  I am the Very Big and Powerful Ship.  You killed my father.  Prepare to die!  (Powers up cannon.)

Ryouga:  (Aghast.)  How dare you steal my line!  Prepare to die!  Nobody loves me.  I'm all alone.   The world is a dark and lonely place.  SHISHIHOUKOUDAN!!! (Fires ki blast and destroys the Very Big and Powerful Ship.)

Ryouga:  Yay, I won.  (Passes out.)

Nagi:  Gee, a strong and handsome male just saved my life and called me attractive.  Whatever should I do?

Ken-ohki:  Chow!

Translation:  Crucify him!

Nagi:  (Pictures Ryouga gagged and tied to a cross.)  Tempting, but no.  How about we give him a lift instead and 'get to know him' better?

Ken-ohki:  Chow!

Translation:  Uh oh, I sense a forced and out of character romance story forming.  Flee while you can!

Nagi:  Whatever.  Ken-ohki, digivolve into Ken-ohki-mon!

Ken-ohki:  Chow?!

Translation:  What the heck?!  Are you on something or what?!

Nagi:  I mean transform!

Ken-ohki:  Chow? (Transforms into ship.)

Translation:  Then why didn't you say so?  

Chorus:  Transformers - robots in disguise!

               Transform-

Ken-ohki:  (Vaporizes the chorus and beams up Nagi and Ryouga.)

Later.

Ryouga:  (Wakes up.)  Gee, I wonder what happened?  I hope that woman I rescued is all right.  Mysterious cloaked females with plasma whips and swords are cute.  Say, where'd my shirt go?

Nagi:  (For some inexplicable reason, she's now wearing her infamous bathing suit.)  I took it off so I could...errrr...more easily tend to your wounds!  Yeah, that's right.  Thanks for the compliments, by the way.

Ryouga:  (Spies Nagi.)  Gah!  (Falls unconscious again with a nosebleed.)

Ken-ohki:  Chow.

Translation:  I think you killed him.

Nagi:  (Blushes.)  Wow, three aesthetic compliments in one day!  I'm on a roll here.

Ken-ohki:  Chow.

Translation:  I'm wincing in pain from the extremely uncharacteristic behavior of my mistress.  Somebody please shoot me now.

Ryouga:  (Recovers.)  Argh…what a lovely sight to wake up to…gah!  What am I saying?  I sound like some lovesick fool!   

Nagi:  I don't mind.  Say, who are you by the way?  I can't refer to you as The Mysterious Stranger Who Helped Me Back In That Bar In The Last Scene And Who I Am Now Unexplainably Attracted To forever, you know.

Ryouga:  (Stands up nobly.)  I am Hibiki Ryouga, the Eternally Lost Boy, Martial Artist and Survival Expert, Protector of the Weak and Defenseless, and, despite what Ranma and my detractors will tell you, the Tragic Hero of the Ranma ½ Series.  Oh, what a forlorn and depressing life I have led…alone and lost for so long…abandoned to the cruel and cold world…

Ken-ohki:  Chow!

Translation:  Ignore my previous statement.  Somebody please shoot him instead!

Nagi:  I feel your pain.  I, too, know what it's like to experience loneliness in this cold and cruel universe.  

Ken-ohki:  Chow?!

Translation:  What am I?  Chopped liver?!

Mysterious Disembodied Entity:  (Appears.)  Yo!  I'm da Mysterious Disembodied Entity an ah have a proposition for you groovy dudes!  The evil Prince Kenji blew up my turf a while back and I want revenge!  How 'bout you turn him in to those police bunnies the GP and let them have a whack at him, hipcats and dogs?  

Nagi:  What's in it for us?

Mysterious Disembodied Entity:  Well, ah used to grant three wishes till Disney filed a patent on that routine, those evil corporate fiends!  They'll soon find themselves wearing some concrete shoes, if ya know what I mean.  Anyway, how does playing Jedi Knights in the next Star Wars movie sound, dude and dudette?

Ryouga:  Ha!  What do you take us for?  Fools?

Ken-ohki:  Chow.

Translation:  I certainly do.

Ryouga:  The next movie is the one in which the Empire takes over the galaxy and destroys the Jedi Council!  You just want some cannon fodder, don't you?

Mysterious Disembodied Entity:  'Kay.  How 'bout I just cure your Jusenkyo curse and tell Nagi where Ryoko is instead?

Nagi:  Sure.

Mysterious Disembodied Entity:  Groovy.  Oh, I've taken the liberty of linking your mind with Ryouga's and blocking his curse for a month just to make things easier.  Enjoy the sexual tension that will ensue.  Adios amigos!  I've got to bust some caps and mess up a few folks now.  (Leaves.)

Skip over several long scenes where Nagi and Ryouga have some heart-to-heart conversations, get to know one another pretty well, find they have a lot in common, and grow so close that the sexual tension can be cut with a knife.

Prince Kenji:  Welcome to my parlor, Nagi and Ryouga.  I'm afraid to say that you won't be leaving in one piece.  Say, how come Nagi's in a bathing suit and Ryouga's not wearing a shirt?

Nagi:  Er…

Ryouga:  Er…

Prince Kenji:  Never mind.  Your attire or lack thereof won't prevent me from beating you into pulp and using your remains to fertilize my garden!  Mwhahahahaha!  I'm the ultimate evil and am unstoppable!  The universe shall once again tremble at the mention of my name and bow down before me!  Mwhahahaha!  Mwhahaha!  Mwhahaha! 

Ryouga:  Oh shut up!  (Whacks Kenji with his umbrella.)

Prince Kenji:  Ow!  That hurt, you big meany!  You'll pay for this injury!  Feel my true evil power!  Mwhahahahahaha!  (Takes Ryouga out with a ki blast.) 

Nagi:  NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!  Ryouga, I never got the chance to tell you that…Grr, die you evil sonnofab*tch!  (Attacks Kenji.)  

Prince Kenji:  Like lambs to the slaughter.  (Impales Nagi with his sword.)  Mwhahahaha!

Ryouga:  (Somehow manages to stand back up.)  Nagiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!  (Glares at Kenji.)  HOW…DARE…YOU?!!!  PERFECT SHISHIHOUKOUDAN!!!  (Great pillar of ki comes falling down from the sky on top of Kenji.)

Prince Kenji:  Curses, foiled again.  My evil plans would've worked too, if it hadn't been for those pesky kids and their cabbit.  (Falls unconscious.)

Ryouga:  (Picks Nagi up.)  Nagi, please…say something!  Don't die on me!  I…love you!

Nagi:  (Opens eyes.)  Really?  Ryouga, I…love you too.  With your tenderness and care in my heart, I promise you that I won't die this day.  

Jurain Guards that have surrounded them:  Awwwwwwww!  How romantic!

Ken-ohki:  (Crashes through the roof.)  Chow!

Translation:  All your base are belong to us!

Jurain Guards:  What you say?!!

Ken-ohki:  (Fires at them, knocking them out, and beams up Nagi and Ryouga who are adoringly staring into each others' eyes.)

Nagi lived, the Mysterious Disembodied Entity gave them their rewards, and Prince Kenji received a sentence of life-imprisonment.  Nagi and Ryouga eventually got married, had children, and lived happily ever after.  The end.

Ken-ohki:  Chow!

Translation:  Thank Tsunami!  I don't know what I would've done had I been forced to put up with another paragraph of this!  Must drown…anguish in a…cup of carrot…juice with…Ryo-ohki…by my…side!

______


End file.
